


That Night It Rained

by BaekYeolFluff



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Bickering, Cursed, Fluff, Ghosts, Hexagon, M/M, Mystery, Sarcasm, Sassy Byun Baekhyun, Shy Park Chanyeol, Souls, Wizards, glooms, heart warming end, lowkey envy, protection circle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:26:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 42,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27447844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BaekYeolFluff/pseuds/BaekYeolFluff
Summary: “I didn't know dead people could be sarcastic?” Chanyeol said.“Let us establish one thing, if we want this arrangement to work, I don't like to be called dead” Baekhyun almost shouted.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol
Comments: 6
Kudos: 48
Collections: EXO MONSTERFEST 2020





	That Night It Rained

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know how but I finally did it. My first ever Chanbaek fic. I selected this prompt because it was one of the funniest prompts I read. I am not that good with dark stuff but I felt confident that I could do light stuff and that is what the prompt let me do. I would like to thank the prompter of L64 for creating such a beautiful prompt and for giving me the creative freedom with it. I hope you like the way it turned out. :D  
> It started out to be just a small fic but as time went by, I became more invested in the story and wrote a long-ass fic. I had a lot of insecurities going forward with it. I would like to thank D, my beta for keeping up with my mood swings and handling all my calls and discussion times, for always being there to talk things through on every step of the story. For looking out for plotholes and shortcomings but also encouraging me to keep going. 
> 
> Thank you, S for guiding me through the whole writing process, encouraging me to write when I thought I didn't think I could, and replying to my texts at all times even with the time differences. Thank you guys for keeping up with the ever-changing story.
> 
> A huge thanks to the mods for letting me get extensions whenever I asked for them, their feedbacks made me confident in my story.
> 
> To all the readers for taking the time to read this fic.  
> Love you all <3

**_Three years ago,_ **

All the sounds in the room went silent suddenly. There was a loud buzzing that Baekhyun felt all over his body, a sudden urge to let go. He closed his eyes to make the unsettling feeling in his stomach go away. After a few seconds, when he noticed that the buzzing had subsidized, he opened his eyes. 

Bad move. 

There was an abrupt ringing in his ears that grew louder with every passing moment. Placing his hands on his ears, Baekhyun closed his eyes once again, turning his head heavenwards, wishing for the ringing to subsidize. When he opened them next, he felt relatively better. He still couldn’t hear what was going on because of the faint yet continuous noise, but he saw a bolt of thunder raged brightly through the sky through the glass dome-shaped ceiling of the room. The hushed pitter-patter of the rain fell on his ears and steadily other voices of the room became clearer.

He looked around and found himself standing in the middle of a rundown church that seemed too old for him to be there. People were running haywire around the room making the unsettling feeling return to his stomach. There was a lot of chaos around and everyone seemed to be rushing towards something behind him. The faces looked familiar reminding him why he was there in the first place. Panicked, Baekhyun looked for his professor, Dr. Zhang, who was crouching down upon someone amongst the crowd that had formed. Though he didn’t remember what had exactly transpired in the room, his interest had piqued as he walked towards his professor.

However, before he could get close, he heard the sirens of the ambulance from a distance and in minutes the paramedics rushed in. Baekhyun decided to listen in on Dr. Zhang talking to the paramedic.

“He just collapsed. We don’t know what happened.” Dr. Zhang started writing down something on the chart that the paramedic handed him.

“What is his name?” the paramedic asked, taking his iPad out ready to enter any information he received.

“Byun Baekhyun” he heard the doctor say and the world stopped spinning for Baekhyun. He stood frozen in one place. 

What did Dr. Zhang mean it was him? He was standing right there in front of him, couldn’t he see him? The doctor continued talking to the medical staff, but Baekhyun was too shocked to even make sense of what was being said. He looked down at himself and back at the doctors, till he noticed faint transparency in himself and Baekhyun froze once again.

Even when the medics moved the lifeless body from the ground to the stretcher, Baekhyun stood there frozen. Even when his own face became visible to him as they passed by, going towards the ambulance, he stood still. 

The ringing in his ears had returned. His throat felt constricted. He felt tears forming in his eyes. His fear rose and with it, the ringing in his ears too. Was he dead? His head was hurting too much. Was he just what was left of him? But his body was still active and according to the paramedics, he was breathing? Did it mean he was not dead? So many questions but no answer came to him. His head still hurt and his ears were still ringing. 

Unable to bear it any longer, Baekhyun ran outside just as the ambulance sped towards what he assumed was the nearest hospital. The only way he could find answers was, if he ran to the hospital, so he did just that. He knew the city well, so he wooshed past people as he navigated his way towards the only hospital in that area. He could feel his heart rate rise, which he realized was impossible because he didn't have one. The second he reached the hospital’s ER, he looked around and spotted the chaos from one side of the room and guessed it was where his human form was.

He walked towards it slowly, not sure if he wanted to know what lay behind those drawn curtains. When he got closer, there were some doctors and nurses running frantically to attach tubes to his body and hooking up the heart rate monitor. The monitor did not show a straight line and Baekhyun sighed in relief.

He was alive.

But wait did that mean he could enter his body again? 

He weaved past the people in front of him towards the bed, but as he tried to enter back into his human form, there was a strong current of electricity coursed through him causing him to jump back. The light in the room dimmed a bit before they shone brightly once again. Everyone in the room had the same confused look as Baekhyun before morphing into a more distraught expression. That was when Baekhyun noticed it, the hummingbird pins on their aprons said it all. It was the same pin that Dr. Zhang had on. They were all healers, doctors for the wizards.

With that expression on their face, Baekhyun figured that they had realized someone was trying to enter the body but couldn’t see or feel anyone. Something felt wrong. Wizards, especially healers, could see ghosts. Even wizards in their early years could sense their presence and after years of practice and working on it, could they actually see the souls. Even Dr. Zhang had acquired that skill a few years before Baekhyun became his assistant.

Baekhyun looked around for Dr. Zhang in the room. He believed the professor would be able to see him, even if the others in the room couldn't. Seeing the said person enter the ER, Baekhyun ran towards him.

“Dr. Zhang” Baekhyun all but shouted, “Dr. Zhang, look at me. I am standing right here!” He desperately tried getting the professor’s attention. The professor did not even spare him a glance, as he sped past towards the others. That was odd. At least Dr. Zhang should have been able to see him. 

Was the professor lying about his ability? Who was Baekhyun even kidding? He had seen the professor talk to ghosts during the time he assisted him. 

Baekhyun tried a few more times, but no one could hear him. Dejected, he walked out not even sparing his human form another glance. Dr. Zhang was there, he would know the right thing to do. He would save Baekhyun. Walking out, he sat on the bench in the hospital garden. It was late at night so no one was around. The rain still poured down heavily, but Baekhyun felt none of it as he sat on the unsheltered bench.

“It wasn't supposed to rain today.”

But then a lot of things weren't supposed to happen today and yet they did.

He felt alone, no one could see him, no one could hear him. He let his tears flow as he tipped his head back on the bench rest and closed his eyes for the hundredth time, that night. He didn’t know what went wrong. Why did he collapse? Did he do something wrong? Would he be able to go back? Why was he in this situation? Was he going to have to stay like this forever? Existing, but not existing at the same time? With nobody to help him, no one to blame, he sighed in frustration and wiped his face. His face felt dry as the day though, no tears actually pouring down on his face just like the rain.

Great, he couldn’t even cry out now.

He looked at his dry fingers and his eyes then lingered down towards his wrists. There was something black on it, a symbol. A symbol he had seen a number of times as part of his curriculum in college, on his work documents at Dr. Zhang’s office. It was a hexagonal maze, an intricate interconnection of various paths that was difficult to escape from. Baekhyun had always been fascinated by it, but the fascination was long gone now that the symbol presented itself on his left wrist. 

The symbol meant only one thing, Baekhyun was cursed, but why?

**_Present Day,_ **

The human world was plagued with glooms, creatures of the dark that used the darkness to morph into any shape they wanted. These glooms fed on people's sadness. The sadder the human was, the more the gloom was attracted to that human.

Glooms weren’t always present in this world. They came into being after one soul decided to attack his partner using the spirit energy it acquired from sadness. The legend has it that his wife had cheated on him and then murdered him with her lover as her accomplice. The husband didn’t turn vindictive but went into such deep sadness that it was difficult for any wizard or witch to save him. In that state, the husband met a vengeful ghost who used the husband for his benefit. Together, they worked hard to turn the sadness into dark energy and use it to attack the wife and her lover’s body. It had been so disastrous that even the most learned wizards weren’t sure how to tackle it. It took years for them to find the people responsible for it and defeat them.

But they were too late. Newer glooms had begun appearing from time to time. They were too weak at first but as time passed by, they became stronger. These creatures took over human bodies and slowly sucked the life out of their soul till the host body became useless. Whenever the glooms took over a human, their souls were enclosed inside the body. After these souls were sucked out of their life completely, the bodies were left behind, and their souls disappeared forever. The world of wizardry and witchcraft had come to a complete halt as elders had begun looking for viable solutions to fight these creatures. Novice wizards were trained to fight and identify them through different school programs.

One such school was the Eleanor University of Wizardry. Named after the greatest witch of the world, this school specialized in creating protectors and healers. The protectors had the responsibility to fight the gloom-infested humans/wizards and extract the gloom that took over the body. The healers then helped free the enclosed souls of these humans by cleansing their spirit energy, so they could go ahead and live a happy life with not a single trace of gloom on them.

Park Chanyeol had been a student at that very school till last week. With his shy personality, rimless glasses on elvish ears, a head full of messy curls, accompanied by lack of confidence, no one would have expected this 185 cm giant to become a protector. Not a soul could believe that the Chanyeol who was shy and timid otherwise, would be so talented when it came to mastering the art of combat skills and defense mechanisms. His swift and sharp movements always had his opponent in twists during a duel and before they could realize what was happening, they were defeated.

Chanyeol had decided to leave all that behind after he bagged an internship as an assistant to one of his favorite wizards, Professor Kim Chen.

Kim Chen was a living legend. He could single-handedly defeat a troop of ten thousand glooms using his of the book techniques. Rumors had it that he also trained the national defense army in his later years. Eyes as sharp as the eagle and brains as witty as a fox, he could get out of any situation unscathed. Not only a fighter, but he was also known to be the most knowledgeable individual in the wizarding world, even the elders respected him. Chanyeol had often heard his parents talk about Professor Chen’s achievements when he was young which was one of the reasons Chanyeol had decided to pursue the protector path and now he was going to a whole new city and in a whole new world to work for him.

He did feel bad leaving two important people of his life behind, his favorite professor, Mr. Lan, and his classmate Kim Junmyeon whose presence Chanyeol had grown accustomed to. However, it was a new beginning for him. He had promised himself to let go of his weaknesses and become a better wizard. He wanted to become someone who everyone relied on and not a shy person like the one he was at school.

The very first fear that he was supposed to face was living alone in an unknown city. Coming from a rich household, Chanyeol was always surrounded by people. The servants, the gardeners, the chefs, or the driver. Therefore, the thought of being all alone, especially at nights, had the hair on his neck standing as a chill had run down his spine. The only time he was ever alone was when his roommate at school had to go home for the winter break. Even then, Chanyeol had taken up the night shift at the university dorms security where students constantly came in and left till dawn.

Chanyeol came from a long line of healers. Every new wizard in the family took up the healer path but with Chanyeol, he had always been inclined to working on the field rather than the background. His parents were okay with it but not the other members of the extended family. He didn't really care what others thought about it as long as his parents were happy. However, a few years ago his parents had lost their lives after being attacked by gloom-infested humans, who fooled them under the pretext of asking for help. There was very little they could do to save themselves. By the time help arrived the glooms had escaped after sucking the life out of their souls. This incident made Chanyeol’s resolve to become a protector stronger. He wanted to find the glooms who killed his parents and end their existence. His extended family did not agree to support him, so he had no choice but to distance himself from them and break off all contacts. If his parents were around today, they would have been so proud of him because he decided to follow his heart. A sad smile played on his lips.

Chanyeol had been in constant contact with Professor Chen who had helped him with all important stuff like booking apartments, the ways to travel, and other essential things. The apartment he had selected was the nearest to his place of work. It was beautiful to look at and Chanyeol had fallen in love with its modern yet rustic look. Without missing a beat, Chanyeol had booked it. He paid no heed to what the reviewers had to say about it. He loved it and he was going to be staying there. 

Alone. 

When the thought of him staying alone struck his mind for the second time he shook his head and decided to cross that bridge when it would arrive. He did not want the excitement to die just yet. 

.

.

.

By the time Chanyeol parked in his parking spot of his new apartment complex after a six-hour drive, the harsh rays of the sun had gone by and there was this fresh smell in the atmosphere usually left behind after a great shower of the rain. His body ached all over but as soon as he stepped out of the car, all his exhaustion was gone and the excitement was back. Without wasting any time, he began unloading his stuff from the trunk before taking it up to the apartment. 

While taking his last box and his backpack up Chanyeol took his time to appreciate the sheer beauty of the lobby. It was huge in size and had a yellow tint because of the huge chandelier that was present on the ceiling. The granite floors were so smooth that Chanyeol feared he would slip one day. Thankfully the stairs that led to his apartment on the first floor were carpeted with soft rugs so there was no danger of slipping on it.

Reaching the entrance, Chanyeol finally opened the door to his room. Room number C-04.

.

.

The creaking of the door opening echoed in the quiet apartment. Curious to see what it was, Baekhyun turned towards the source of the noise. A giant lanky person with huge suitcases and a pile of boxes was entering the apartment. It had been months, years even, that a normal human had placed a foot in this place. Having an unexpected guest didn’t sit well with the ghost. He unconsciously rubbed the hexagonal mark on his wrist, a nervous habit that had been acquired after sitting quietly in the empty house for years. Baekhyun was not exactly thrilled with the idea of having someone else live in his house, but there wasn't much that he could do. It wasn't like the human was going to notice him or his pleas for help, even if he wasted all his energy on it.

He saw the taller stumble his way into the bedroom while still keeping the pile of boxes in his hand intact. Baekhyun wasn't going to confess he was impressed by the upper arm strength although he agreed the lower body coordination was lacking for the human. 

The newcomer then came close to the window that Baekhyun was standing next to and opened it. The human stood too close to Baekhyun and the ghost could see the elvish ears that were kept hidden behind the long curls. His hand reached out towards the ears wanting to touch it and as expected it passed right through it. However, the sudden movement had steered some air around, which the human seemed to feel as Baekhyun saw him still for a moment.

Had the human felt his presence? No one could feel him around even wizards so how was this mere human able to?

He swiftly turned towards Baekhyun and Baekhyun's eyes collided with a scared pair of eyes right in front of his face that he could see the specs of brown in those black orbs. He took his time observing the newcomer. The slightly ajar mouth, the scrunched up nose, the smooth skin, the huge eyes that were filled with fear. Baekhyun wasn't going to admit he found him handsome, although he would agree that the hair could be styled in a better way. Maybe gelled up to make the human look more confident. 

The human, however, looked through him and around to find the source of the sudden air. The scared look on his face amused Baekhyun and he smirked. He was going to have a lot of fun with his new housemate. 

.

.

Baekhyun was bored. The human did nothing great from the time he entered except for assembling the boxes, putting his stuff away, taking a bath, and having two cups of microwaved ramen. He didn't even talk to anyone! The ghost hadn't even caught his name yet. 

What was he supposed to refer to him as then? The human? The housemate? The tall guy? Or maybe... Big ears? Baekhyun chuckled at the cartoon reference. 

The one thing he had learned after snooping around the boxes was that Big Ears was not just a human, he was a wizard. That would somewhat explain why the taller had felt his presence somehow. He could be a really great wizard or something too.

Big ears had already lied down on his bed. The ghost slowly crept up towards him but before he could do anything, the taller was off his bed looking around the room and scratching his head. Baekhyun got a full view of his muscled arms as he stared for a bit and whistled in appreciation. Big Ears kept moving around the room unpacking bags, boxes as if looking for something. Baekhyun decided to help him a bit. With a smirk on his face, he dropped the first thing he saw on the ground, a box full of Rilakkuma merchandise? Wow, Big ears surprised him every step of the way. Shaking his head, he saw the wizard turn around and look at the mess. Without a second thought, all the mess was put back into the box and he turned back to rummaging through his backpack. Baekhyun didn't like the reaction and dropped the box again this time concentrating all his energy. The simple task exhausted him and he could feel himself flickering out of existence. But the reaction he got from Big ears made all of it worth it.

The taller was now inside his blanket covering himself completely. With his weak vision, the ghost also saw him shivering slightly. Baekhyun wanted to laugh but it would have to wait till morning till he regained his energy. It had been a long time he had used his spirit energy so he was out of practice. Tomorrow, he decided, he would return stronger and better.

.

.

For the next few days, Chanyeol continued experiencing a lot of things. At first, he thought he was just imagining them but one day after grocery shopping, he was welcomed to a house full of dog crap. That was when things began taking a turn for the worse. Sometimes there were cats who loved scratching away all the cushions, the other day his whole rilakkuma collection was readjusted. One day he found himself waking up in the bathtub instead and he only remembered going to the bathroom in the middle of that night.

It was like someone was having fun off his misery, deliberately trying to scare him so that he left the house. Chanyeol hated that it was working well. There were so many times in the past few days that he thought about looking for a new one. In fact, he already had a tab open on his laptop searching for a new place, but he was embarrassed that a lousy prankster was scaring the bejesus out of him. As a protector, his job was going to be fighting against the glooms who were going to be even scarier than these stupid spoofs that were being played on him. He was never going to be able to live by himself if he let this intimidate him. Granted no one would find out what was happening but Chanyeol won't allow anyone, even a ghost, call him out on his weakness. Who was he kidding though? If the laughter after his every fear gripped reaction was any indication he was already being made fun of. He just wanted to scream out loud at his foolish self.

The days were at least bearable because he could run out and not come back, but the nights, they never held any mercy. The pranks of the day turned into something dark. Night after night the incidents had started getting weirder and weirder. Sometimes the lights would go off or random things began falling to the ground. There were a lot of times he felt eyes watching him but whenever he turned around there was no one. There were noises like someone was scratching nails on the walls leaving behind scratch marks in the morning. From time to time, he found writings on the mirrors that said ‘I see you’ or ‘Your time is almost up’ or ‘Go away’. Chanyeol had now become paranoid about keeping his eyes open at night. If there was even a single sign that he was awake the pranks began. The only thing he could do was sleep before the night broke. In this way, he didn’t have to worry about that feeling anymore.

Chanyeol thought that his only problem moving into the new city would be managing to live alone for the first time, but the constant eerie feeling of the nights made him restless. He thought of calling Junmyeon too, to seek help, but his stubbornness didn’t want to ask anyone for help. 

On the night before he officially started working, he was awoken by the loud rattling noise of the window. The rattling continued for some time before it eventually stopped. Thinking that it won’t happen again, Chanyeol closed his eyes tightly and tried to go back to sleep.

The noise resonated again, this time louder like some thief was trying to break into the house through the window.

Alarmed by this thought, Chanyeol’s eyes opened instantly. One arm holding the blanket just below the eyes and the other clutching his mouth so that he did not make any involuntary sounds, Chanyeol scanned around the darkroom. With the light coming in from the long windows, he was able to make out if there was anything or anyone inside. Just as he was about to turn to the other side, the hair on his neck stood and he froze. He could feel someone standing behind him and possibly staring at his back. Goosebumps spread all over his body, his mouth begging him to let out a scream, but he held back.

With every second, his heartbeat rose.

His breathing was erratic. 

His eyes watered.

Chanyeol didn’t want to die.

His will to live got the much-needed adrenaline flowing through his system. He wasn’t going to go down without a fight. Swiftly turning around, he swung the first thing that he could lay his hands on, into the general direction of the presence he felt. The night lamp landed on the other side of the room hitting the wall behind him. Confused, Chanyeol got up at the speed of light, momentarily forgetting his fear, and looked at the fallen item, which he’d used for his defense.

A chuckled reverberated into the room making Chanyeol look away from the lamp.

Chanyeol gulped heavily. 

“Wh..who is it?” Chanyeol croaked out.

Silence. 

Chanyeol kept looking around frantically, searching for something, anything.

“There is nothing valuable in this house for you to take away. Don’t waste your time and just leave” Chanyeol said but even his soul could tell that this wasn’t a thief.

“Cute” Another chuckle resonated into the dark. The taller looked at the general direction of the voice

“Who are you? Why don't you just go away? You’re already dead!” Chanyeol said, but in the next second realized it was a wrong move.

“I am not dead!” Baekhyun all but screamed but the wizard didn't seem to hear him. He could feel the rage coursing through his entire being. The mark on his hand was acting up glowing a bright green. The windows rattled through the power that surged through his body. His mood was affecting the atmosphere of the room as he felt himself slowly lose control of himself. The lights in the room blinked on and off. Baekhyun didn't know what was happening. He had never felt anger as a ghost so this was all foreign to him too.

The sudden light made Chanyeol squint his eyes, but he still tried looking around. There still wasn't a sign of a person around.

Suddenly, his books were flying around in a whirlwind. Chanyeol didn’t know it was possible, but his heart began beating even faster. Meanwhile, the shards of the night lamp created another whirlwind of its own as the clock on the wall behind the bed fell beside him, missing his head by an inch, making him jump and run to the corner of the room. He held his head between his knees and shut his eyes as tight as he could.

“STOP IT” Chanyeol shouted when he couldn’t take it anymore. Baekhyun couldn't do it even if he tried his best.

“Stop it! Please, stop it.” He prayed to everything almighty, while hiccupping tears.

At that moment, a memory was refreshed. The memory of his mother. Chanyeol and her sitting in the garden of their house waiting for his father.

.

.

_“Remember Chanyeol, you will never be alone. We will always be with you” Young Chanyeol, happy after hearing it, just smiled back at his mother. He was too young to understand anything, so he just continued drawing in his book._

_“Whenever you feel, you are in utter danger”, his mother continued, “imagine yourself standing in the center”_

_His mother took color chalk from his collection and drew a stick figure on the book. Young Chanyeol was sad that his drawing was not going to be perfect, however, he listened to his mother._

_“And draw a mental circle all around you and whisper I am protected with perfect love and trust” His mother moved on to draw a circle around the stick figure. Young Chanyeol loved the drawing his mother drew and began drawing more circles around the stick figure. But his baby hands couldn’t manage to draw around one how many ever times he tried._

_Either the ends did not meet, or the shape wasn't right._

_Frustrated, he threw the color chalk on the ground, making his mother chuckle and hug him close._

_“Oh Chanyeoliee, you will learn how to do it one day. Your mom and dad will teach you.” His mother placed a kiss on the top of his head as his father’s car pulled up in the driveway._

_._

_._

The memory faded back into reality. His room was still a mess. The whirlwinds had subsidized but the lights continued blinking in and out.

Just like his mother had told him in his memory, Chanyeol concentrated hard and tried to cast the protection circle to ward off anything evil in the vicinity and protect everything around from it too. He imagined a huge soap bubble covering him and concentrated on making it stronger and sturdier. The circle would prevent anything harmful to enter and torment Chanyeol.

He then felt the silence that fell through the atmosphere but tried hard not to distract himself.

“What is he even trying to accomplish?” The new voice in the house broke his concentration and he opened his eyes.

At first, there was nothing but in mere seconds, he saw a form coming to life in front of him. It was translucent but Chanyeol could make out the features. Black hair, huge ears, button nose, thin yet plump lips, slender fingers, a medium built guy. He was wearing what looked like a white button-down shirt with brown suspenders attached to brown pants. Thin brown-rimmed glasses adorned his eyes.

Chanyeol’s eyes portrayed confusion and astonishment.

“Who are you?” He asked.

“Oh, you can hear me?” 

“What do you mean? Was I not supposed to?”

Baekhyun ignored him as he looked around.

"No offense, but that is the most pitiful, weakest looking protection circle I've ever seen in like.. forever. Your circle looks like an egg" the ghost said looking around the room.

“No it doesn’t” Chanyeol took complete offense, his fear momentarily forgotten.

“Oh poor baby, no need to be embarrassed. It happens to the best of us. A bit of practice and you'll be fine”

“I am not a baby and I wanted it to be an egg.”

“But it is supposed to be a protection ‘circle’ ” the newcomer even did the air quotes for emphasis.

“So?” 

“Nothing man. No need to get defensive”

“Who are you? What are you doing here?” Chanyeol asked

“Well, I wouldn't know that. you were the one who made me visible. I was just chilling out here in my apartment on my own.”

“You’ve been living here the whole time? So it was you who were tormenting me?”

“Guilty”

Without thinking twice, Chanyeol charged towards the ghost with every intention to punch but his hands passed through. Instead he hit his head on the wall behind and passed out.

.

.

.

.

.

The next time Chanyeol opened his eyes, it was already morning. At first everything was silent and Chanyeol thought that maybe last night was one of his worst nightmares, but then, a slow humming sound fell upon his ears. Chanyeol looked around to find the source and there he was, the ghost who had appeared in front of him last night. 

“Who are you?” Chanyeol asked once again.

“Oh you’re awake?” the ghost asked,

“ Since I am talking to you, I am clearly awake.” Chanyeol felt kinda snappy that morning.

“After you passed out last night, I did not think you would wake up with coherent thoughts. But look at you forming perfect sentences. You are not as weak as I thought you would be.” Baekhyun chuckled.

“I didn't know dead people could be sarcastic?” Chanyeol countered.

“Let us establish one thing,” Baekhyun said as calmly as possible,“ if we want this arrangement to work, I don't like to be called dead.” 

“What arrangement? I don't even know your name!” Chanyeol said, utterly confused.

“Oh, that is the issue? My name is Baekhyun. Nice to meet you. Everything okay now?” Baekhyun introduced himself.

“Chanyeol” the taller introduced himself out of habit and then shook his head, “no nothing is okay. Who are you? What do you want? Just get away from me!” Chanyeol said standing up from the bed and moving as far away from Baekhyun as he could.

“ I just told you I am Baekhyun and no, I cannot get away from you. We are kind of attached to each other now.” Baekhyun said moving towards him again only for Chanyeol to move away.

“Do not come any further. Go away! ” 

At that moment, Chanyeol's alarm went off which distracted Baekhyun, using that to his advantage, Chanyeol ran towards the phone, took it, and locked himself into the bathroom.

“You do know that I am a ghost right? I can just pass through the wall” Baekhyun did just what he said he could, as he peeked in, head first, into the bathroom wall beside Chanyeol.

But just like before, Chanyeol ran out from the bathroom as well. This was getting boring for Baekhyun but nonetheless, he followed the wizard.

“I do not trust you one bit. Get away from me. I don't want you anywhere near me. Stop right there!” Chanyeol shouted as he started feeling anxious and scared. 

Baekhyun complied.

“Okay okay. I won't come any closer and trust me, I will not harm you ever. I am just excited to have someone to talk to” Baekhyun tried to calm him down.

Chanyeol’s phone rang again reminding him that he only had thirty minutes before he had to leave for work. 

“I need to get to work and when I return I do not want to see you anywhere near me or the apartment. Don't you dare follow me!” Chanyeol warned.

Baekhyun’s face fell. 

Chanyeol did feel a bit bad but he shook the feeling off. This was a ghost. For all, he knew it was a vengeful ghost who wanted to use him for his personal evil agenda. Chanyeol didn't want to be associated with any part of that. He went about his regular business. 

He did see the ghost leave the house at one point and then sighed in relief as left for his first day of work.

.

.

.

Even as Chanyeol entered the lobby of his new office, his mind was still on the ghost. He tried concentrating on what the HR was saying about the company policy but it was too boring so Chanyeol just zoned out again and kept looking around making sure he was not being followed.

Beside him was another new employee. He hadn't had a chance to ask his name yet, but he too was dozing off continuously. When they were handed in some documents that they were supposed to fill out, Chanyeol had a chance to read the name of the other person, Oh Sehun. 

Oh Sehun was tall, well built, and had this air of confidence around him. He wasn't trying to make any conversations with the HR or with Chanyeol so, he figured that Sehun was also the shy type and would only talk if he was talked to. 

The training and orientation went on for five hours before they were let go for a lunch break. In the haste of leaving the house to get away from the ghost, Chanyeol had forgotten to pack lunch. His only other option was the company cafeteria and from the looks of it, Sehun was in the same boat. 

“ Hyung, you are going to the cafeteria too?” Chanyeol heard Sehun ask.

“ Umm.. yes. You forgot your lunch too?” He asked even though he already knew the answer.

Sehun nodded shyly.

“ Let's go then” 

Chanyeol had been wrong about Sehun. The guy was not as silent as he thought. He liked to talk a lot about things, both relevant and irrelevant. By the time they had reached the cafeteria, Chanyeol already knew that Sehun was a smart kid and therefore had been promoted to higher classes in his school days, he had an older brother, he liked music and wanted to be a singer but his family did not allow it so he had to settle for a desk job. He only planned to work for five years and then pursue his dream. That was the arrangement he had with his parents. He also had a dog that he loved more than anything in the world. Without even meaning to, Sehun had successfully helped him take his mind off of the ghost back at home.

He hadn't stopped talking until the delicious smell of food reached his nose. They wasted no time choosing their lunch. Chanyeol took the pork dumplings and some soup while Sehun chose the kimchi fried rice and bubble tea.

“This is the first place I have seen that provides bubble tea to their employees. That is why I chose it” Sehun said as they settled in a booth.

“ That was the reason you wanted to work here?” Chanyeol asked, baffled.

Sehun nodded like it was normal for people to select their workplace based on what food they offered. 

Unlike Chanyeol, Sehun was going to be working for Professor Kai, who was the head of the control room. So unlike Chanyeol, Sehun literally had a desk job. He was going to be responsible for keeping track of the wizards that worked for their company. He would also be responsible to gather a team of wizards when anyone in distress called the center for help or the protectors on the field pressed the emergency button on the company mobile app.

After a full lunch, they returned to the HR office from where they both were sent to their separate ways. Chanyeol was sent to Professor Chen’s office and Sehun went to the control room. 

It was that day that Chanyeol realized that he worked for a really big organization. He knew it was famous, but observing it in real life made him realize that people here took nothing lightly. There were wizards and humans working closely with each other trying their best to protect the world from glooms. The walls were filled with wizards who had worked exceptionally well to protect humans and fellow wizards. Their achievements were cherished. 

As he entered Professor Chen’s office, a wave of excitement took over him. Professor Chen was sitting on his chair, working on his computer when he heard the HR and Chanyeol enter the room. 

Professor Chen exchanged formal pleasantries with the HR before he left the two of them alone. 

“Hello Chanyeol,” Chen said, standing up and extending his hand for a handshake.

“Hello, Professor” Chanyeol tried to hold his excitement as he shook his hand back.

“How was your first day? Do you like it here?”

“Yes. The cafeteria has good food.” Chanyeol smacked himself for saying that. This was not how he imagined the first meeting to go while Chen just chuckled. 

“That is good to hear.” 

Chen then directed him towards the small cubicle that was at the side of the room. 

“This is going to be your desk, Chanyeol. I am working on a new case. I won't go into the details today. You already had a long day. You can sit at your desk and try understanding how the system works till it is time for you to leave for the day.” Chen said.

“Okay professor.” Chanyeol nodded as he headed towards his very own desk. 

.

.

.

The day at the office went well, but as soon as it was time to leave for home, the feeling of dread pooled in Chanyeol’s stomach once again. He tried to waste some time walking home as slow as possible, not thinking about the ghost at all. It worked for some time. However, as soon as he reached the lamppost across his apartment complex, he knew he couldn't avoid it anymore. Maybe the ghost had already left to torment some other tenant of the building. That thought gave him some solace as he crossed the road. 

Entering the apartment lobby and not even sparing a glance around the room Chanyeol ran towards the apartment. He did feel like there was something around but he blamed it on paranoia. Oh boy, he wished it was just paranoia. 

“How dare you ignore me?” He heard the ghost's voice and right after that he felt pain near his ear as if someone had flicked it.

Chanyeol let out a shriek.

“Ouch. That hurt and what are you doing here? I clearly told you I don't want to see you anywhere near me. ” Chanyeol said, massaging his ear.

“Why did you react now? You ignored my existence in the lobby. You can keep on doing that.” Baekhyun said.

“You weren't there in the lobby” Chanyeol was utterly confused by what the ghost was trying to say.

“ I was. I even called you out!”

“Nope. I am definitely sure because had I heard you, I would have run away from the place instead of coming back home” Chanyeol said and went into the bedroom leaving a very confused Baekhyun behind.

“But I was there” Baekhyun’s voice suddenly turned small not realizing he was alone in the room.

These kinds of conversations kept happening every day where Chanyeol would out of thin air be either punched in the gut, pushed forward, or toppled over only to find Baekhyun standing there whenever he got up. It wasn't only when he was home. Chanyeol had seen the ghost follow him all the way to his office, the general store, or even to restaurants. Though he didn't acknowledge his existence when he was around, Baekhyun still somehow followed him everywhere he went. 

Humans couldn't see ghosts. Wizards could only develop the art after a lot of practice. It took them years to master the art. Chanyeol too, wasn't able to see them until Baekhyun had come along. It was baffling that he could only see him and no one else. He was sure other ghosts existed but Chanyeol could only see Baekhyun. He wanted to talk to someone about it, but he wasn't sure how to start a conversation like that. He just had to hold it in until he was able to muster enough courage to ask someone about it or just try to find out about it himself.

.

.

Chanyeol was walking through the busy streets running some errands for the professor along with Sehun who had tagged along because he had nothing to do that day. Chanyeol had been grateful for the company because he wouldn't have to waste his time trying to hide from Baekhyun.

It had been weeks that he had been avoiding the ghost but somehow he was still there. It wasn't like they conversed on a regular basis. Chanyeol had just begun avoiding his existence in public and also in the apartment. At first, he was tormented by him for it but then Baekhyun just grew tired and gave up. Chanyeol had been thankful for it. Now they just coexisted in the same space without getting in each other’s way. Chanyeol usually left early for work and returned late, so they had as little encounters as possible. 

Sehun was an easy distraction. Chanyeol just had to focus on what he was talking about and every other thought disappeared from his mind.

“So when you try to mix water with oil, it just floats and as a kid, it was so fascinating. I wanted them to mix with each other and spent my whole summer trying to do it.” Sehun was saying, “but I realized one thing, Chanyeol Hyung, no matter how hard you try just like water and oil, some individuals are not meant to get along. You know, like the glooms and wizards. They both have different purposes in life and if they came together it would only mean chaos.”

Also, like him and Baekhyun, Chanyeol thought. His eyes then caught a glimpse of the ghost standing at a distance looking directly at him. So much for trying to stay away from him. Chanyeol just did what he always did, tried to lose him. He picked up his pace to get away from it.

“Hyung are you okay? Why are you walking so fast?” Sehun asked as he tried to match speed. 

“Oh nothing, I just realized I have to be back in fifteen minutes. Let's go Sehun”

Chanyeol looked back once to see if the ghost was following but to his surprise, he was nowhere to be seen. He sighed but didn't drop the speed. 

Baekhyun on the other hand could see Chanyeol running away. He wanted to follow but then decided against it. He just stood there and watched him go with the other guy in tow. The mark on his hand itched again, just like every other time he saw Chanyeol run away from him. He rubbed on it to soothe down the feeling.

Once Chanyeol was out of sight, Baekhyun decided to wander the streets till the sun came down instead of chasing the taller. The colors of the market distracted him for some time.

He had never really expected to be seen by anyone again. He had accepted the curse as a punishment for not being able to help the two people all those years ago but the day he realized Chanyeol could see and hear him, he began hoping that things could be different. However, Chanyeol didn't want to be anywhere near him and now Baekhyun had to learn to live with that too. If he wanted to be away from him, Baekhyun was going to do just that. He began walking in the direction away from Chanyeol as he focused his eyes on the sky. He had nothing to lose. His existence was just a punishment to walk the earth for eternity anyway.

.

.

Chanyeol had just got done with his day as he stepped out of the office building. Professor Chen had started trusting him with small tasks so he was kind of making some progress at work. 

The sun hadn't set yet. The sky had tints of red splashed all around, the air felt warm and everything smelled like summer. For some reason, Chanyeol was happy and smiled a genuine smile. He had his earphones plugged while listening to Tokyo Bon by Namwee. The song had a really different vibe to it... It was his song of the month. He had been listening to it on repeat because it always made him smile. He took his usual road home looking inside stores as he walked past them. The street he was walking on had all the best brands and was all crowded with shoppers from around the world.

Never in his wildest dreams had he thought he would see Baekhyun walking through one of the scarf shops trying to get a cap near the display. Chanyeol stopped walking, unplugged his earphones, and crossed his arms as he watched the ghost struggle. He was judging the ghost so hard at that very moment. 

Chanyeol noticed how Baekhyun didn't have his glasses on and his face just looked like a baby’s. Baekhyun was concentrating hard as he tried to hold on to the cap with his right hand and successfully held onto it. Chanyeol’s eyebrows shot up with surprise while Baekhyun just smiled at his success. He carefully pulled the cap from the hook, looking around to make sure no one was looking when his eyes met Chanyeol's, who was directly looking at him and the cap he was about to take.

Baekhyun let go of the cap and it fell down. He just stepped out of the glass window in front of Chanyeol and smiled sweetly while the taller just followed his movements.

“Hey Chanyeol, what are you doing here? Are you here to buy a cap too?” Baekhyun said as if he wasn't just trying to get a cap.

“Oh, so you were ‘buying’ a cap?” Chanyeol asked.

“Yes Chanyeol”

“And how were you hoping to pay for it?”

“Well you see, the store owner knows me so I was just borrowing it for the day.”

“You do know, that I know you are a ghost and no one except me can see you, right?”

“Oh yeah, I keep forgetting that”

Nothing of the conversation made sense to any of them so Chanyeol just decided to walk. Baekhyun followed suit.

“Where do you think you are going?” Chanyeol asked, he stopped walking.

“Home” Baekhyun replied nonchalantly as he stopped too.

Chanyeol then turned towards the other, “I told you to not come anywhere near me. Why can’t you just respect my request, Baekhyun?”

“Well Chanyeol, I think both of us know, you aren't really scared of me anymore, so let me stay with you. I mean we both know I lived there first so I do have some right over the property too. You got a fully furnished home thanks to me. Can't we just stay together?”

Chanyeol knew Baekhyun was right but he still wasn't ready to stay with a ghost.

“No” And the taller man began walking again, but Baekhyun did not.

“Well, it is not just for me. It is for your own good too. You won't have to stay alone. So you won’t have to be scared of anything. I will protect you!” Baekhyun was only glared at for saying it.

“How can you even protect me?” Chanyeol asked, turning back.

“I will figure it out. You kind of saved me when you did that protection egg of yours” Baekhyun said, as he caught up with him.

“Circle”

“It does look like an egg. But yeah, that. You saved me and I think you may need my help in the future.”

“Yeah. I don't think so.” Chanyeol picked up his speed.

“Why are you even being so stubborn right now?” Baekhyun stomped on the ground and then tried to calm himself down. The mark had begun acting up.

“You know I would be the best roommate. I don't need food, shower, or clothing, won't ever have anyone over, also you get a readymade bodyguard. I am a wizard too, the very best one, so you can rest assured that I can also help you with your work too. Please Chanyeol. Pretty please. I promise I won't be in your way, just let me stay at my home” Baekhyun reasoned.

Chanyeol thought about it, “You promise?”

“Yes,” Baekhyun nodded like an eager puppy.

“And no more pranks?”

"No more pranks."

“Fine, you can stay. But don't you dare come in my way and no pranks, you promised!” Chanyeol warned.

Baekhyun jumped up in joy, “Yes!”

.

.

The walk back to their apartment was quite nice. Baekhyun was humming to himself while Chanyeol had plugged the earphones back in while listening to ballads this time. Both were lost in their own separate worlds and Chanyeol thought maybe it would not be so hard to live with a ghost. While climbing the stairs towards the door, a question crossed Chanyeol's mind as he saw Baekhyun glide ahead of him and enter inside. 

"Hey Baekhyun" Chanyeol called out as he entered the house while the ghost turned to face him. 

" What is it?" Baekhyun asked, a smile still on his face. He was in a really good mood. 

" This might sound stupid-" 

" I am sure it's going to be stupid" Baekhyun interjected. 

"-but do all ghosts float around as you do? " Chanyeol continued as if Baekhyun hadn't just insulted him. 

"I would imagine so."

"Well, you can see them right? I know I cannot. Only God knows how I ended up being able to see you"

"I cannot see any other ghosts, Chanyeol," Baekhyun said a bit dejectedly as he sat down on the sofa.

" Well aren't you a ghost too? Can't ghosts see other ghosts?"

"That is how it is supposed to work, but I am a special kind of ghost, I have my own plane of existence where no one is allowed to enter. Except for you now, of course" 

"There are things like that?"

"Maybe. Who knows what the world is up to.” Baekhyun just looked heavenwards as he said it.

“So now that we are roommates, we should do something to celebrate this day don't you think?” Baekhyun asked as he followed the taller into the kitchen, “Bake a cake, or some cupcakes maybe?”

“No” came Chanyeol’s curt reply.

“Drink some wine to celebrate it then?”

Another negative response.

“What about a movie then? We both can experience it together.”

“I am tired Baekhyun and you promised to give me my space just ten minutes ago.”

“Okay. Sheesh, no need to be so uptight about it. Have your beauty sleep, I’ll leave you alone for the day”

“Thanks.”

“You owe me a movie date in the future now.”

“Whatever.”

.

.

The next day on his way to the office, Chanyeol received a call from Junmyeon. It was unexpected but it made him happy nonetheless. Baekhyun had been good on his word and stayed away from him so now Chanyeol could move about freely without having to be wary about being followed. He sat down on the stairs outside the building as he picked up the call.

“Hello,” Chanyeol said excitedly, finally being able to talk to someone familiar.

“Hi Chanyeol, how have you been?” was the first thing Junmyeon said to him.

He had really missed Junmyeon. Hearing his voice after so long was so overwhelming that he had a lump in his throat. They asked about each other's whereabouts and talked about random things for a while. It was freeing. The complete change from being a college student to having a job had been tedious but, from the looks of it, even Junmyeon had managed to do well. Chanyeol felt happy.

“Hey Junmyeon, there is something I need to tell you.” Chanyeol still didn't have enough courage to discuss it but he realized if he couldn't tell Junmyeon about it, he would never be able to talk to anyone.

“Is everything alright?” Junmyeon sounded concerned.

“Well, yes and no. The thing is, I kind of summoned a ghost and now he won't leave” Chanyeol said sheepishly.

“You did what? How did that happen?”

“Well, you see-”

“You know that can be dangerous right? Is the ghost tormenting you?” Chanyeol could clearly hear him pacing, a nervous habit that Junmyeon had.

“Uh.. no. It's mostly pranks”

“Pranks?” 

Chanyeol went ahead and explained everything that happened. There were times when Junmyeon was angry and also when he just laughed out loud. By the end of the story, he seemed a bit calm and not as worked up as before.

“So I told him he could stay but I am still not a hundred percent sure I did the right thing.”

“Of course it is scary. I don't know why you agreed to it. Living with a human stranger is difficult for you so I can only imagine how scary this situation is. Can't you look for another place to live?”

“Well technically I can, but I don't want to”

“The dumbest thing I have heard from you”

“I came here to overcome my fears, Junmyeon. I am about to become a full-time protector soon. You know we have to deal with glooms and shit for our whole lives now and I won't be able to do that if I can't face my fears head-on.”

“I don't think I need to march down to your place now, you sound pretty chill about the whole thing but even at the first sign of danger you call me, okay?” Junmyeon said.

“Okay”

They talked for some more time before hanging up.

“Awww so you still fear me, Chanyeol” Baekhyun’s voice came from right beside him and Chanyeol shrieked out of fear, almost falling down if not for the railing beside the stairs.

“I told you to stop doing that! And why were you eavesdropping on my personal call?”

“Ooh personal!” Baekhyun’s eyes had a glint, “Do you like him? Was that your boyfriend?”

“Not that I need to tell you about it, but no, I don't like him that way. He is just an acquaintance.”

“You don't have that kind of conversation with an acquaintance. He must at least be your best friend if not your lover” Baekhyun asked.

“I don't like having friends. I would much rather be alone.”

“So that guy from work, Oh Sehun was it? Is he not a friend?”

“How do you know about Sehun?”

“I have my ways and answer the question.”

“He is just a person from work, a colleague.”

Baekhyun was speechless for some time. Chanyeol took this as a cue and got up to leave for work.

“You are so difficult to read. I thought it was only me who was that way.” Baekhyun said, standing up as well. He had his glasses on today, Chanyeol noticed as the ghost caught up with him.

“Why don't you like to have friends, Chanyeol?” Baekhyun asked when the wizard refused to speak.

“I think I have really bad luck so anyone who was ever close to me had to suffer. I don't want that to happen to anyone. It is better to draw a line there which is why I have no friends.” 

“Junmyeon was right. You do say a lot of dumb shit.”, Baekhyun ignored the fact that he was glared at and continued talking, “Anyway, Chanyeol. I think I have it worse when it comes to luck so I can be your friend. I mean we are already roommates so it is natural that we become best friends too.”

“We haven’t even been roommates for full twenty-four hours and you want us to be best friends? No thank you.”

They continued bickering about that all the way till Chanyeol arrived at his workplace after which Baekhyun left him alone.

.

.

Even if the wizard had begun getting used to Baekhyun’s presence he still maintained some distance. He only talked when spoken too and Baekhyun didn't know how to change that without being too imposing. After all, he didn't want to piss off the only person who knew he existed. It was a week later when Baekhyun found Chanyeol standing in front of the cupboard with most of his clothes laid out on the bed. 

“Chanyeol, what are you doing?” Baekhyun asked, amused by the state of the room. 

He saw Chanyeol freeze for a minute before relaxing. His head popped up from one of the cupboard doors.

“Oh, it's you!” Chanyeol said when he saw it was the ghost. He then went back to staring blankly at his clothes.

“Chanyeol, why are you staring at the cupboard like it holds answers to all the questions you've ever had?” Baekhyun tried once again. Chanyeol rolled his eyes at that and sat down on the chair of his study table.

“I have a company dinner to go to but I can't seem to find the appropriate outfit.” He finally said as he looked at Baekhyun, “Will you help me?”

“Is THE PARK CHANYEOL finally ready to have a normal conversation with me instead of ignoring my existence?” Baekhyun exclaimed out loud and his laughter followed, not even caring that he was being glared at.

“You know what? I’ll figure it out.” Chanyeol said, standing back up and going through the clothes inside.

“Okay okay sorry. Tell me what I can do.” Baekhyun stopped laughing.

At first, the taller decided to ignore the ghost but then looked around the room. He did need help with this and he didn't have much time. Sehun was going to come to pick him up soon.

“What is appropriate for a company dinner?” Chanyeol finally asked, “Should I go with a black-tie, white tie, black tie optional, business casual, casual, smart casual, business formal, cocktail, or a white tie creative?” 

“Wow. I will be honest Chanyeol, I don't know what most of the things you listed just now are but I do know that for a company dinner no one really cares what you wear. In fact, most of the dinners I have been to, people just dress into something comfortable yet classy” Baekhyun explained.

“So casual it is then.” 

“Maybe try a smart casual. Show me what you got, mate”

Chanyeol lined up all the clothes that screamed casuals from his wardrobe. Once the selection was done, he got ready. 

They had selected a simple striped no-collar t-shirt, paired with khaki pants and a dark blue jacket. It looked classy yet casual. Baekhyun also convinced the taller one to use some hair products so that his hair could be styled to perfection.

Chanyeol stood in front of the mirror to assess the look once he was ready and Baekhyun whistled his appreciation away. His hair made him a lot more confident and the jacket seemed to hug his arms perfectly. The spectacles did go well with the look. Baekhyun wasn't saying that Chanyeol looked handsome but he was definitely proud of what he had done to his tall, lanky roommate.

“Don't my ears stick out a lot?” Chanyeol said touching his ears, obviously conscious about them.

“That is your MVP elf boy, flaunt those bad boys to the world instead of hiding them behind your messy curls” the ghost tried assuring him and the taller just nodded.

Chanyeol’s phone buzzed then. It was Sehun saying that he had come downstairs so Chanyeol got ready to leave while Baekhyun shouted instructions at him as a mom did.

“Don't drink too much but don't forget to let go a bit too, Chanyeol. Enjoy your life for once.” He heard the ghost say as he wore his coat.

“Yes, mom.” Chanyeol shouted his reply from the staircase but then he came back up.

“Did you forget something?”

Chanyeol went to the room and got his laptop out. He fired it up and had his netflix account opened. He went through the show list before settling on one.

“I am pretty sure you like this show so you can watch that if you want to.” Chanyeol said, walking out of the door for the second time not even glancing back. If he had, he would have seen the beautiful smile that adorned the ghost’s face at that moment.

Baekhyun was touched. He hadn't been aware that the taller had started thinking about his conveniences and inconveniences too. He didn't think Chanyeol realized it either, he was happy nonetheless.

He saw the human get into the car from the window and drive away, “Thanks, Chanyeol” he whispered and went to binge watch whatever Chanyeol had put up.

To Baekhyun’s surprise Chanyeol returned home early that night. It hadn't even crossed the second season yet when he heard the door open and close. He paused the video and waited for the human to come into the bedroom.

“You’re early” He stated the obvious.

“I am”

“What happened?”

“Company dinners are not really my thing. I don't think I will be going for the next one.” 

“Well, it is a great way to socialize with your bosses.”

“Yeah everyone seemed to be doing that tonight. Sehun and I were bored out of our mind so we left.”

“You won't realize it now but these meets are important too.”

“I don't want to talk about it anymore. What were you watching?”

“Some series that came up after the one you played ended.”

“Let's continue then shall we?” Chanyeol said as he joined the ghost on the bed not even bothering to change out of the clothes. They binged four seasons that night and then Chanyeol was passed out cold the entire next day.

.

.

Months passed by. Chanyeol had now grown accustomed to Baekhyun’s presence everywhere around him. They had fallen into a pattern. Chanyeol would wake up to Baekhyun trying to prank him, they talked about random things while he got ready for work and had breakfast, Baekhyun accompanied him to his work place after which he left Chanyeol alone and then they met directly back at the apartment later in the night.

They were taking a stroll outside the apartment one night after Chanyeol had a rather heavy meal and decided he needed to take a walk before sleeping.

“Say Baekhyun, have you ever fought any glooms when you were ali-, a wizard?” Chanyeol asked, trying to cover up his mistake. He had learnt it the hard way that Baekhyun hated being called dead.

“Yes definitely” Baekhyun replied, not paying any heed to the slip up.

“ I am not talking about those new ones, those are easy to tackle. I mean like the old and powerful ones.”

“Yes Chanyeol.”

“What was it like? Did you win?”

“It is an experience I would not like to have ever again. What about you, did you?” Baekhyun quickly turned the topic on Chanyeol before he was asked any more questions about the experience. 

“No. They haven't let me out of office yet. Sehun was bragging about it the other day when they asked him to be on the field once” Even Chanyeol could feel the bitterness that was laced to that statement. He was happy for Sehun but then sad that he was not given the same treatment. He wondered if he was not doing a good job as an assistant.

“Doesn't Sehun have a desk job?” 

“Well yes, but professor Kai thought he needed to experience it all before he settled on one”

“And your professor doesn't think so?” Baekhyun said the exact same thing the taller had in mind.

“I am sure professor Chen has his reasons.” Chanyeol said not even believing it himself.

“From what I know about Professor Chen, he has to make sure you are completely prepared before you can go on the field. There must be something he is planning for you.” Baekhyun tried to reason so that Chanyeol didn't feel bad anymore. He didn't like the fallen face that the taller had right at that moment.

“You wanna get some ice cream?” Baekhyun asked out of the blue to shift focus from the brooding topic.

Chanyeol looked up at that, confusion apparent on his face. That was the look at Baekhyun liked the most on his face.

“Umm no” the wizard replied.

“Let's at least go inside. I haven't been there for so long” 

“You can go in there alone, it's not like anyone is going to notice you” Chanyeol really didn't want to go in because he knew he wouldn't be able to hold himself back from buying one if he did.

“Yes but I don't like being alone anymore. Come with me?” Baekhyun asked so innocently that Chanyeol had to give in. It was ice cream after all.

Chanyeol just shrugged and walked towards the store. Baekhyun on the other hand was jumping with joy as he marched right inside. 

Chanyeol smiled at the happiness the ghost felt just for being near the thing he loved the most. He was about to enter when his phone rang and Sehun’s name popped up on the screen. He looked at Baekhyun looking at all the flavors before answering.

“Hey Sehun, whats up?”

“Hyungggg, I’m drunk. Come here so we can enjoy together.” Sehun said.

“Sehun you know I don't drink. You will have to call someone else.”

“Hello, is this Park Chanyeol?” He heard a foreign voice say.

“Yes, who is this?” Chanyeol’s senses heightened after hearing the man speak.

“I am the bar manager. Please come and get your friend. We need to close early tonight.” the manager gave him the address then while Chanyeol sighed in relief.

Baekhyun on the other hand, was still lost looking at the ice creams but he envied everyone in there who could eat it. He looked for Chanyeol only to find him standing outside looking for something on his phone.

“Something wrong?” he asked as he reached there.

“It’s Sehun. He is drunk at a bar again” as he hailed a cab, while Baekhyun just rolled his eyes at that. 

“And then you say he is not even your friend.”

“It is common human courtesy to help people in need.” Chanyeol reasoned.

“It is common courtesy to call them a cab and get them home . You going to get them is a best friend slash boyfriend behavior. What are you?” Baekhyun asked frustrated that Chanyeol was still shy to admit Sehun was a friend.

Chanyeol didn't reply even as they reached the bar, got Sehun back into the same cab and drove towards the younger’s house.

Once they had Sehun back inside his room and settled, both of them were on their way back home.

“Say Chanyeol, will you ever come help me if I was in trouble?”

“I thought you were the one who was going to protect me? Wasn't that the reason you wanted to stay with me? To be my bodyguard?”

Baekhyun rolled his eyes again. 

“Yes, but what if I was in trouble? Will you come help me?” Baekhyun asked once again.

“Since you aren't human, I don't know if human courtesy applies to this scenario,” Chanyeol paused and Baekhyun’s eyes saddened, “ but as your roommate maybe I will.” the taller said then and the sadness was gone.

“You could have just said yes. Why the build up?” Baekhyun asked trying to hit Chanyeol until he was able to muster up enough energy to finally land one on the wizard.

“How did you do that?” Chanyeol asked shocked at being hit.

“I have my ways.”

“I still think you should start considering Sehun as a friend. I know that he considers you a best friend. Drunk people only call the people they love the most” Baekhyun said as Chanyeol got down from the cab. However, instead of walking towards the apartment, Chanyeol walked somewhere else.

“Where are you going?” Baekhyun asked, confused.

“You wanted to get ice cream, right? I want some too now. Let's go” He said and the smile on the ghost’s face was back.

Baekhyun really couldn't read this wizard. He claimed he didn’t want to have anything to do with others yet contradicted himself by remembering even the smallest details. Did he even realise he had grown accustomed to all these people around him already? Even Baekhyun seemed to have become an important one for him. Can he see that people have started relying on him a lot? Baekhyun, too, was relying on him because he didn't want to be alone.

Just what are you doing Park Chanyeol, Baekhyun asked himself.

“Are you coming?” Chanyeol called him when he realized that the ghost wasn't with him.

“Yes. Let’s get strawberry ice cream, I love strawberries.” Baekhyun said as he joined the taller.

“I hate strawberries, not getting that.”

.

.

There were times when Chanyeol would talk about his work. This is where Baekhyun would jump in and share his expertise with him which Chanyeol never really asked for and then switch to talk about his old days. For some reason, the ghost didn't seem to run out of stories to retell. At times, he would repeat some stories but Chanyeol would only realize it after it was over, then there were also times where he would just repeat the same story because he liked telling it. Just like he was doing right now.

It was the weekend and Baekhyun was blabbering about his wizard days while Chanyeol decided to clean up his room. A mess would be an understatement about the condition of the room.

“It was a lot more magical than I first expected it to be. I was able to communicate with the person’s soul even if I couldn't see it. It was my first time being part of such a ritual and I was just a teen.” Baekhyun said as he animatedly explained every scene.

Even though Chanyeol had found the story really interesting at first, listening to it for the fourteenth time wasn't what he had expected. If only he hadn't reacted so enthusiastically at first he wouldn't have to hear about it every day. 

Chanyeol had always been in awe of inspiring stories. He blamed it on his father. Baekhyun told his stories with the same enthusiasm as his father did and it made Chanyeol think of him. It was his dad who had told him stories about Professor Chen. He always explained them in such great detail that he could imagine them. He always wanted to be just as good so his father could also tell his stories of bravery with similar pride. His eyes saddened but there was a smile on his face. He missed them both but he had to live with it. 

In the meantime Baekhyun had stopped talking when he realized that the taller wasn't really listening to him but was lost in his own thoughts. At first Baekhyun was angry that he was being ignored again, but when he saw the droopy smile on Chanyeol’s face and he somehow knew it wasn't a moment he should interrupt.

So he gave it ten seconds and then walked right up to Chanyeol near the bed and threw a piece of soft toy on his face. 

“Are you zoning out from my amazing experience?” Baekhyun asked when Chanyeol turned to look at him.

Chanyeol just chuckled and went back to arranging his room into something livable. 

“I have already heard your story so many times that I could recite it in my sleep.”

“Do it”

“What?” 

“Recite it.”

“The only reason I asked you to stop is because I don't want to hear about it again. Why would you think I would want to repeat it myself?”

“You’re just jealous that you didn't get to experience it yet.” Baekhyun said with a smirk as he lay down on the bed and began playing with the toy he had just thrown towards Chanyeol.

“Whatever makes you sleep at night” Chanyeol just went about doing his work.

“I don't sleep.” Baekhyun said and then suddenly stopped playing with the toy. 

He turned towards Chanyeol.

“Hey Chanyeol, do you want to see how my eyes look when I try to close them?” He asked, an evil smile on his face. 

Poor Chanyeol was clueless because he hadn't seen it and just agreed to it.

Baekhyun closed his eyes as he waited right behind him.

“How different would it look from a normal person closing his ey- OH GODDDD!!! You look like a zombie. I thought you were going to close your eyes!!! And why are you standing so close?” Chanyeol shouted out loud.

All Chanyeol could see were deep, soulless almost crossed-eyes, looking back at him. Baekhyun had also added a cunning smile, and was showing all his teeth, licking his lips. Those eyes looked like they could curse Chanyeol into the next life and his first instinct was to place a hand in front of Baekhyun’s face as he tried to look away.

“They’re closed” Chanyeol tried peeking at them once more but it was still the same.

“They don't look closed!” Chanyeol closed his own eyes and looked away just as a precaution while Baekhyun just laughed his heart out. 

“Okay you can look at me now.” Baekhyun hadn't laughed so hard in a really long time but with Chanyeol he always found reasons. It also helped that the taller was such a scaredy cat. 

“Are they back to normal?”

“Yes, they are.”

Chanyeol peeked and when he saw Baekhyun sitting on the bed looking normal he sighed and relaxed. 

“Don’t ever do that again,” Chanyeol said as he slid down to the floor and looked around the room once again. It was weird that the more he tried to clean it the messier the room looked. Chanyeol decided to give up for the day and continue cleaning up tomorrow. 

“I can’t help it, you are so easy to scare and your scared face is cute”

“I am not cute” Chanyeol sounded offended as he rested his arms on the edge of the bed and placed his head on it. 

“Whatever you say, Big Ears,” Baekyun said as he lay down in front of the other, resting his head on the palm of his left hand. 

Chanyeol’s eyes locked with the ghost’s that looked so normal right now. It made him think whether all their eyes actually looked that scary when closed? There was no way to find out. Chanyeol’s eyes then drifted away from Baekhyun’s and towards his wrist. Something black shined back and he got curious.

“Hey Baekhyun, what is that?”

Baekhyun, who was also lost in thought looking at Chanyeol’s cute expression, looked up at him then.

“What is what?” Baekhyun knew what he was talking about but he didn't want to engage it further.

“That thing on your wrist” Chanyeol pointed it out for a good measure, but it looked like Big Ears wasn't going to let go.

“Oh this!” Baekhyun said not as excited as he wanted to, “ It's a tattoo. I got it as a rebellious act during my teen years” Baekhyun’s voice was low as the memories of the reason for that ‘tattoo’ resurfaced in his memory. 

“I feel sad looking at it for some reason. Why did you get it? Does it have any significance like your first love or break up?” Chanyeol prodded.

“It is a reminder of a sad memory.” Baekhyun answered and left it at that. He could already feel the effect his dampened mood was having on the mark, “I don't want to talk about it, Chanyeol”

“Okay” Chanyeol understood what it felt like not wanting to talk about his feelings and the bitter past so he let it go.

“You want to watch something after dinner?”

“Sure” was all Baekhyun said, trying hard to not let the mark affect him.

Chanyeol left the room then to make some dinner.

Meanwhile, Baekhyun was still trying to compose himself from the waves of pain that the mark was sending to his body. He tried to shove all the memories back in his mind but even then he felt like he was drowning. His right hand was clamped on his left where the mark felt like it was searing into the skin. He had to calm himself down. He could already feel himself growing weak.

 _Give in_ , a voice whispered in his mind but Baekhyun fought back. The pain was too strong and he felt his ghost form almost dissipating into thin air. Baekhyun couldn't give in. He didn't know what this force was, but his wizard mind told him that it wasn't something he should give into and so he obliged. 

“NOOOOOO, I… will...not!” Baekhyun used all his might to fight back. Memories of the past were coming back to him even after he tried to force them away. He needed someone to lend him mental support.

He looked around and called out for the only person he knew could hear him.

“Chanyeol”

No response.

“CHANYEOL!” He shouted loudly this time but there was still no response. Where was this person when Baekhyun needed him??. His energy was already draining; he didn't have much time to think, So he tried diverting his mind from the memories, thinking of something else. 

Baekhyun’s eyes found a lone soft cushion he had thrown at Chanyeol some time back. He concentrated on its features, the smile it had on its plushy face, the white overall, and a small leaf near its head. It was the pillow Chanyeol used while he slept. It was cute and Baekhyun began easing into that feeling. He looked around the room one more time and came across the mess that felt like home to him. The home brought back a good sentiment from his past when he used to live here. The house had always been his safe haven. He felt the waves of shocks subsidizing and finally, Baekhyun could feel at ease.

Once he was sure it was all over and felt a bit better, Baekhyun sat up. He called out for Chanyeol one last time who still wasn't answering him.

Was he avoiding him again? Or was he perhaps hurt? 

The next moment the ghost went to the living room where he saw Chanyeol cooking in the kitchen while humming to himself. The apartment was too quiet. There was no way Chanyeol didn’t hear him. 

Salty for being avoided, Baekhyun just glared at the human from across the room. Soon he got bored as Chanyeol didn't even bother to look up. Baekhyun huffed loudly. He had thought they were kind of like friends now, but it looked like he was the only one who thought it to be that way, while the wizard only acknowledged his presence. He was a nobody for Chanyeol. 

Chanyeol thought he heard something so he turned around and found Baekhyun standing there, glaring at him.

“Baekhyun?” He called the ghost.

“Now you hear me?”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Baekhyun left the apartment instead of replying. He would rather talk to the keyman who he was sure won't react to anything he said. At least there he knew what to expect.

He could hear the wizard calling for him but he kept walking.

.

.

.

It was a Sunday and Chanyeol had decided to get a look around the place he had been living in. He hadn’t had the chance to explore the city at the time he was here. He decided to use some of the hair products again to style his hair some more. After all, Baekhyun did say his ears were worth flaunting.

He had half expected Baekhyun to accompany him when he left in the morning but the ghost was nowhere to be seen. Maybe Chanyeol shouldn’t have asked about the tattoo last night. The ghost was probably sulking about it which is why he wasn't around. So he didn't pry much about it.

Chanyeol had been driving around the city looking at places and had one of the calmest mornings that day. He spent it looking around at people, stopping at random cafes for his caffeine dose of the day, and sometimes walked on the streets that he found interesting. He definitely avoided the area near the office so he could avoid thinking about work. 

Sure, the office was fun. He had learned a great deal about being a protector. Though right now it was only the office work that he was allowed to do and no fieldwork. Sehun, on the other hand, had already been on the field thrice and that wasn't even part of his job description. Chanyeol envied him for it. The only fieldwork he was allowed to do was run errands for the professor or practice in the in-built fighting ground at the office. He mostly practiced alone or sometimes with their trainer, ZiTao, but that was it. He did feel he was ready to be on the field; he just didn't know how to talk to Professor Chen about it. 

Chanyeol shook his head. He was thinking about work again. He should stop doing it. This was the only reason he had decided to venture out. 

His thoughts then went back to Baekhyun as he passed by a whole street of shops. The time when he had caught him trying to steal that hat. He chuckled at the memory. 

He then thought about the sudden change in the ghost’s attitude the previous night. Why was Baekhyun glaring at him? They were supposed to watch a movie that night but he just upped and left leaving Chanyeol alone. He didn't know how to read that reaction. Had Chanyeol done something wrong?

With those thoughts in mind, Chnayeol kept walking till he reached a dead end. A dead-end that overlooked a beautiful lake that the city was famous for. It was a crowded place but Chanyeol managed to find a place away from it all. He took in the view and it somehow made him smile. He adjusted his glasses and scrunched his nose as he looked at the people present at the place. The picnic tables were all occupied by groups of friends, some families and couples spending time with each other on this lovely afternoon. There was a chill in the air which meant that winter was approaching soon. He plugged in his earphones and watched the flock of birds that he assumed were now migrating to a new place that was now warmer.

Amidst all this, Chanyeol had failed to notice the ghost that sat all alone at the other corner, looking at the lake and trying to pick up stones to throw in it.

Baekhyun sighed once again. He had already given up on the stones. They weren't worth all the energy that he was about to waste.

“Why was Chanyeol behaving like he didn't hear me calling him yesterday? I clearly spent a lot of my energy to just do that.”

He plopped himself down and took in the world around him. The buzzing of the people around him was completely opposite of how the lake felt. Serene and calm. He walked towards it and on it. It wasn't like anyone would notice even if he broke out into a dance. So he did just that.

Imagining himself as the main lead of Swan lake, he glided across the lake trying to match the grace of the ice skaters and humming the theme song as he did so. It made him forget about the mark on his hand and a genuine smile pulled on his lips as he focused on the routine. He finished it with perfect turns and a bow. He even imagined applause all around the place appreciating his perfect show. 

He looked at all the people who sat at the benches unaware of the awesome performance that he had just put up for their entertainment. His eyes then fell on the person looking at the sky.

“Chanyeol?” He couldn't miss those elf ears anywhere. The last person he expected to be there.

“Chanyeol!” He shouted once again. But no response once again. It was two days in a row that Chanyeol had ignored him. Granted he was a bit farther but he should at least be able to hear his name right?

Baekhyun was about to leave when his eyes caught a woman who was looking at Chanyeol intently. She looked too old, almost in her eighties. No one would bat an eye at her standing there. She seemed to be completely aware of everything around her and made sure to not make any sudden moves. 

Call him paranoid but something felt off so Baekhyun decided to wait and watch. The woman’s eyes were not normal. They kept flashing pink for some time before they went back to its normal form. She looked as if under the influence of a drug or alcohol. These were some of the signs that new gloom infested humans showed. She kept staring. From what Baekhyun could tell, Chanyeol felt it too as he saw the taller take out his earphones ( No wonder he couldn't hear him!) and look around the crowd behind him. He got up and began walking away. If he’d noticed that old woman, he didn't show it.

The woman waited for a few seconds before she, too, walked in the same direction as Chanyeol. This confirmed Baekhyun’s suspicions and he followed them in a split second.

Why was Chanyeol being followed? How did they find him here? The aura around the woman was odd just like the times when Baekhyun worked under Dr. Zhang to free humans from glooms.

Chanyeol turned into a corner alley that was empty. 

The woman waited for a few seconds and followed only to be thrown back out. Chanyeol had apparently kicked the woman out. 

Wasting no time, she jumped back up. All the suspicions Baekhyun had till that moment were proved to be true. No way an eighty-year-old woman could possess that much power. She trotted behind the aftershock of the kick not being absorbed by the body yet. Chanyeol’s fierce look came into view. His eyes locked onto the woman, not even batting the lashes, waiting for any sudden movements. 

Baekhyun was scared to even move, or make any noise. He didn't want to distract Chanyeol. The woman threw consecutive punches while the wizard just weaved through all of them with ease. She kept on trying until one landed on his temple and another straight on his mouth. Chanyeol staggered back, his mouth filled with blood in a second. 

The pain signals sent to his brain made Chanyeol ignore the woman. Baekhyun was still alert though. He saw her hands reaching for the pocket near her waist. With the person in front of her distracted, she was ready to deliver the final blow, but Baekhyun knew what that meant. He wasn't going to let that happen. 

“CHANYEOL MOVE TO YOUR LEFT AND DUCK!” he screamed praying that he didn't ignore him this time.

Chanyeol’s body reacted before his mind could decipher what happened. He missed the knife that the woman held by a mere inch. 

The confusion was evident on both their faces as they looked at the knife and each other. 

It only lasted for a second. Chanyeol punched the woman on the shin while using the opposite leg to kick her hand to dismantle the knife making her fall to the ground. 

Chanyeol stood up thinking it was finally over but the next second she was up. 

“Chanyeol!” Baekhyun shouted once again as he tried his best to use all his energy to pin the woman to the ground. 

“Baek-”

“Do you have the unconscious potion?” He was cut off.

“Yes,” He said, taking out the potions bag the company had handed over to all the employees.

“Give it to her.” 

Chanyeol followed the instructions.

“Call the center, Chanyeol, quickly, and find something to tie her hands,” Baekhyun shouted, already feeling himself lose energy.

“Tie her?” the taller said after he pressed the emergency button on the company app.

“Press that damn button and alert the center first!!” Baekhyun shouted.

“I already did it!”

Chanyeol complied and went over to the now almost unconscious woman using his hoodie to tie her up. Baekhyun let go and rolled down beside the woman. 

“How did you know I was here?” Chanyeol asked sitting beside Baekhyun

“I am your bodyguard, remember? I had to come and save you.” the ghost said from beside him.

No one said anything for some time as Baekhyun tried to sit up.

“Why did you tell me to tie her up?” Chanyeol asked after some time.

“I don't know if you have noticed but it was a gloom and when a gloom gives up the body, the human body is prone to sudden involuntary movements as the soul tries to reclaim the body.” As if on cue, Chanyeol saw a black substance leave the woman’s ears, nose, and mouth. The body started jerking around the tight hold.

“Quick! Place your hands on her forehead and recite the calming spell!”

Chanyeol did as he was told while Baekhyun tried his best not to disappear into thin air for using so much energy at once.

A gloom? Chanyeol had actually never encountered one. Even if he knew what was to be done he had become pretty clueless when fighting it. Suddenly he was thankful that Baekhyun was there. Chanyeol had so many questions but he knew they had to wait as he saw Professor Kai and a team approaching. He explained all that happened in great detail.

All this while, Baekhyun had begun gaining his energy back. He was glad that his immunity was faster than before. He had been practicing for some time. The shorter sat up as he saw them take the woman to the hospital. He observed Chanyeol talking professionally to Kai. Baekhyun knew Professor Kai and he knew that he was seldom impressed but looking at him now, he looked happy that a newbie like Chanyeol had followed the protocol and didn't miss out on any detail.

After telling him that he will have to submit a report to professor Chen, Kai also told him to visit Dr. Zhang for a check-up pointing at the bruise on his mouth. The adrenaline pumping through had made Chanyeol forget about the ache but now that it was pointed out the pain was back with a bang.

Kai had offered to take him to the hospital but Chanyeol insisted on taking his own car.

“Are you sure you can drive?” Kai had asked him but the young wizard was adamant so Kai left him reluctantly, but not before telling him to call him as soon as he reached the hospital.

“I’ve never seen professor Kai being worried about someone this much. You probably left a really good impression on him” Baekhyun teased as Chanyeol walked back.

“How do you know Professor Kai? Come to think about, you even know the protocol well. ” Chanyeol asked.

“We are wizards, Chanyeol, of course I know the protocol! Don't you know it?” Baekhyun asked and left it at that while getting up.

“Obviously I knew it. I was just flustered but, that is not the point.” It hurt to speak but Chanyeol was interested to know the answer.

“Aww, you were flustered? You did look cute with your confused face there” Baekhyun said.

“Don't change the topic” Chanyeol asked as they began walking.

Baekhyun kept quiet.

“Did you work at my office before you died, Baekhyun?”

Not finding a way out of it, Baekhyun just nodded as they walked towards what he presumed was where Chanyeol parked the car.

“Wow”

“What?”

“I am just surprised”

They kept walking in silence.

“Are you really sure you can drive?” Baekhyun asked as they got into the car, “You should've just gone with Kai, they were going to the hospital too”

“ It is weird how many things we have in common, Baekhyun,” Chanyeol said as he started the car.

“Are you even listening to-”

“I mean, you were a wizard, I am a wizard. I was the best in my class and if you worked at my office, you should have been one of the best too and we live in the same apartment too?”

“Yeah, it’s like the stars aligned for us to meet.”

“Yes. It is like we are soulmates.”

Baekhyun had to laugh at that. “Soulmates? Really Chanyeol, I think the pain has overtaken your sense of logic. We should get a cab”

“No, don't you understand, if you weren't there, I could have died or worse yet become a gloom. You're like my savior”

“Savior? Yeah, definitely a cross-connection in the brain. The Chanyeol I know does not say things like that. Let’s just reach the hospital soon”

Thankfully the hospital was close by. Baekhyun followed him closely until they reached Dr. Zhang’s office at which point he went back to the car. He still wasn't ready to face his mentor. He had let everyone in the hospital down dying on them like that. He wasn't ready to add more guilt on his plate than that was already there. So he just waited in the car. The mark was acting up so he definitely had to get away from all this.

.

.

.

Hours passed by but Chanyeol hadn't returned. Scared about what had happened, Baekhyun went back to the office. Dr. Zhang was nowhere to be seen but he found the person he was looking for.

Chanyeol lying down on the sofa, his eyes closed. His even breathing was a sign that he was fast asleep. On the table, he found a prescription for some pain meds and a note which said that he had a mild concussion. Baekhyun couldn’t help but chuckle.

“I knew it. There was no way in his straight mind that Chanyeol would call me his soulmate” 

He settled on the floor, Chanyeol’s face on his left side as he waited for him to wake up. He let his eyes run over the face, he looked so peaceful. His mouth was slightly ajar and Baekhyun could see that his wound had been cleaned and from the looks of it he hadn't lost any teeth, a good sign. All the other wounds seemed to be healing too. Professor Zhang must have had something to do with it. 

His mind went back to the conversation in the car. It's not like Baekhyun didn't believe in soulmates but he never thought of Chanyeol as one to believe in such things. Chanyeol was right though. They already had a lot in common; it was scary. Only time could tell what more had been planned for them in the future. It was either the universe wanting them to be together or just a very big coincidence. 

At that point though, Baekhyun wasn't sure what he wanted it to be. Chanyeol had become a person of great importance to him. He cared for this human elf and couldn't bear to see anything happening to him but there was only so much he could do to help him. He was just a mere ghost who had stumbled into his life without permission. He wasn't sure if he was as important to Chanyeol as the human was to him and he was scared to know the answer.

So he let the thought be and instead decided to focus on the question as to why Chanyeol was being followed. It could have been a random coincidence but something didn't feel right. He decided to think about it later as he saw the human stir awake.

Chanyeol thought he would be in unbearable pain once he opened his eyes, so even after being awake for some time, he was not ready to open his eyes. However, he could feel someone’s gaze on him. He thought he felt Baekhyun’s presence in the room but he couldn't be sure so he just stayed that way. Out of nowhere, his nose was plopped.

“Boop!” He heard Baekhyun say, “ I know you are awake, Chanyeol, open those eyes.”

Chanyeol slowly opened them fearing the headache but it never came. 

The room was dimly lit. The only light came from Dr. Zhang’s desk lamp so it was difficult to spot Baekhyun. He got up slightly and tried looking around for the ghost.

“Baekhyun?”

“Yes, my soulmate?” He heard the ghost from beside the sofa.

“Huh?” Chanyeol lied back down.

“You called us soulmates a while back, don't you remember?” Baekhyun teased.

“No I don't remember” came the human’s reply.

“Do you know Chanyeol?” Baekhyun asked.

“What?”

“You look really handsome without those specs and hoodie that you are adamant about wearing every time. You should wear them less often.” Baekhyun said without even having the slightest idea what effect those words would have on the human. However, he did notice the hair that was styled perfectly.

The lights in the room were turned on then as the door opened. Baekhyun saw the slight blush that covered the human’s face and he chuckled, a flustered Chanyeol always made him smile.

Both Chanyeol and Baekhyun watched as Dr. Zhang walked inside wearing his pristine white coat, the stethoscope and a smile plastered on his face as placed his coat on the rack. 

“Oh, you’re awake. How are you feeling now?” He asked as he walked towards the sofa. 

Baekhyun quickly moved away from where he was sitting and left the room as his mark had begun glowing again after seeing Dr. Zhang.

Chanyeol saw him leave but couldn't do anything as the doctor was checking his face for any visible wounds.

“Hmm.. it looks like it healed well. Does it hurt?” the doctor asked as he pressed down on the wounded area. 

“It doesn't know,” Chanyeol replied.

“Good. Your face is a bit warm. I'll get you something in case you feel feverish at night” He went back to the desk and began typing something on the computer. He told Chanyeol about the prescription and instructed how to take them before he was let go. Dr. Zhang accompanied him to the exit.

A code blue emergency announcement sounded loud and clear as they were walking towards the door and Dr. Zhang’s pager beeped. Chanyeol could see the visible panic on his face before it was masked with a poker face again

“Don't drive yourself, take a cab home instead.” the doctor said before speed running through the hallway leaving him alone.

Chanyeol nodded towards no one in particular as he continued following the exit signs. In the past few months, there weren't a lot of times that he had to be in the hospital so he didn't know his way around. His mind went to the report that Professor Kai had told him to write for Professor Chen. He mentally began planning how to frame it as he reached the parking. 

“Hey soulmate!” he heard once again from beside him. He had already grown accustomed to Baekhyun appearing from anywhere so that didn't faze him a bit.

“Stop doing that. It is not scary anymore and why do you keep calling me your soulmate?”

“Well it was you who first said it”

“I am pretty sure I wouldn’t say something like that”

“That doesn't mean you didn't say it” 

Chanyeol opened his phone to book the cab as Dr.Zhang had asked him to. 

“We are taking the cab home now.” He said and Baekhyun, who was already sitting in the passenger seat of the car, returned to his side.

.

.

.

.

It was lunchtime and Chanyeol was sitting in the cafe with Sehun. They were still discussing the events from last night.

“You’ve never been on the field and still managed to fight it?” Sehun asked, astonished.

“It wasn't that great of a fight. I was hit bad enough to get a concussion.” Chanyeol said. His mind went to the ghost who was also responsible for saving him. That reminded him that he hadn't actually thanked the ghost.

“Eh Hyung, don't be modest, you really did great.” 

“Do you have any idea what happened to that woman?” Sehun asked after some time.

“I am not sure. Professor Kai did take her to the hospital, did he say anything?”

“Nope, nothing.” 

“Umm. Sehun”

“Yeah?”

“Have you heard about a Baekhyun who used to work here?”

“Baekhyun?” Sehun thought for a minute, “No, why?”

“Nothing”

.

.

On his way back to the office, Chanyeol once again passed the wall that had names and photos of people who worked and lost lives working. It was divided into sections according to the department. Baekhyun hadn't told him the department he was working in so he started from the very first. The ghost had told him that he worked on the field so he could eliminate some of the departments like the potions, the control room, and the IT department. He went to the one that was under Professor YiFan who was responsible for flight security, there was no Baekhyun. He next moved to Professor Chen, no Baekhyun there too. He had checked 5 departments so far and he hadn't seen Baekhyun yet. He was beginning to think he was lied to. 

Only two departments were left. He went to the one led by Dr. Zhang at the hospital. The company also had a tie-up with the biggest hospital in the town where Dr. Zhang led a team of healers. 

He scanned through the photos and names and there it was.

_BYUN BAEKHYUN, 2017_

_One of the best protectors and upcoming healers, under the guidance of Professor Zhang. He gave up his life trying to fight the strongest gloom and saving the wizards in distress. His contributions had helped the company achieve great success in the past but on that eventful day, we had to bid farewell to the strong, beautiful soul of Baekhyun as he put his all in fulfilling his duties._

_You will be missed dearly._

  
  


There was even a photo of Baekhyun that Chanyeol could see. 

That carefree smile on his face and the boyish charm was easily recognizable. Chanyeol felt like he wanted to know this boy, after all just because of those eyes that held innocence yet the experience of a lifetime. The ghost that he lived with now just felt like a faded copy. He felt like he deserved to know more.

Chanyeol had never taken any interest in the ghost’s life at first but as time passed by he grew accustomed to Baekhyun’s presence now. However, he didn't know anything about him and Chanyeol wanted to know more about the person who had saved his life the previous night. Baekhyun never shared anything about his life except about his experiences as a protector. He did talk his ear out every day but nothing even remotely hinted towards his personal life. It was always about work or some random information about corgis. Even when Baekhyun slipped out some information, he was smart enough to either cover it up or instantly turn the topic on Chanyeol. Therefore, Baekhyun now knew a lot about his life. Even more, than he had told Junmyeon about. 

So in order to keep the balance, he decided he was going to find out more about the human Baekhyun and there was only one person who would know him well. Well at least, the only person Chanyeol could talk to about it.

Professor Zhang. 

Making up his mind about it, Chanyeol ran towards his desk to finish his work as soon as possible. While he did so, he also skimmed through the company website a bit to find out more about Byun Baekhyun. There wasn't much information about his personal life but there were papers and articles about research that he had done within the short time that he had been associated with the company. Some with professor Chen too, but most of them were with Dr. Zhang. 

After his work was done, Chanyeol was the first person out of the main doors. He was waiting for a taxi when Sehun happened to pass by and offered a ride. Chanyeol gladly accepted.

“Are you going to pick up your car from the hospital?” Sehun had asked and Chanyeol had just mumbled an affirmative answer not really paying attention. 

As soon as they reached, Chanyeol shouted thanks and dashed inside the hospital.

“Wow, he must really miss his car” Sehun concluded, looking at Chanyeol run like a madman.

Inside, Chanyeol was confused about the way he was supposed to go, so he went to the receptionist to ask for directions but found Dr. Zhang there instead. 

Looking at the doctor standing there, Chanyeol realized what he was there to do and he hesitated. His heart began beating loudly. All of a sudden he thought maybe this wasn't a really good idea. Should he do it? What should he ask about first? Would it seem odd? Questions ran through his mind making him nervous. He was about to talk to the doctor about a person who isn't even alive. How would he explain why he had so many questions about some wizard who was no more? 

He shook his head and cleared his throat, he wasn't about to let his confidence dwindle. Exhaling to tame his wildly beating heart, he walked towards the desk nervousness still evident in every step he took. He called the doctor once, but his no voice came out. Smacking himself mentally, he looked up to call Dr. Zhang but he saw the doctor was already walking away. He wanted to call out but the doctor was too far, so he decided to follow him instead. The doctor passed by the general ward, the specialty ward, waited a few times to talk to the other doctors or patients, and then resumed his way to what Chanyeol assumed was his office. He heard the doctor’s pager go off and watched him check it before he began running. Chanyeol wasn't sure what he was supposed to do, so he continued following, his long legs allowing him to keep up with the doctor’s pace. 

Dr. Zhang had run all the way across the hospital into the VVIP ward. Chanyeol noticed that in here, there were only people with the hummingbird pin on them, unlike the rest of the crowded hospital. The pin signified that these doctors were in fact healers. His parents had those too on their coats whenever they went to work. Therefore, he assumed that this ward was just dedicated to wizard care who were injured during their expeditions. 

Dr. Zhang disappeared into one of the rooms at the end of the hallway. The end of the hallway was also the place where the reception desk for the ward was, so he walked towards it. On his way, his eyes went to the name of the patient on the door in which Dr. Zhang had run to. 

BYUN BAEKHYUN, it read.

Chanyeol stopped right at the door, confusion filling his mind, yet again. He was coming across this name a lot. His interest had piqued. Was it the same Byun Baekhyun? But that was not possible. He had to be dead. He was living with his ghost. There was no way he was alive. He had also seen the plaque at the wall in his office. Baekhyun would have surely told him if that was the case.....wouldn't he? Sure, he hated when Chanyeol called him dead but wasn't that how any ghost would react? Deciding not to stress about it, he waited for someone to walk in or out.

It was Chanyeol’s luck that the door opened and a nurse exited leaving the door slightly ajar. Before he could even peek inside, the faint beeping of the heart monitor fell on his ears. Whoever was inside was definitely alive.

He quickly looked around the room, there were two doctors inside, including Dr. Zhang, checking the chart and talking to each other. His eyes then went to the person on the bed. It took a second for Chanyeol to adjust to the distance before he could make out the figure on the bed. The features felt familiar but he couldn't be sure. He saw the doctors approaching and quickly backed off towards the chairs. Once the doctors had left, Chanyeol went inside the room to take a closer look. He wasn't sure what he wanted the result to be and how would he react to it.

Steadily, Chanyeol walked towards the bed only to freeze on the spot. That nose, the mouth, the ears, all screamed Baekhyun, the only thing that was missing was a pair of spectacles. Chanyeol was shocked and confused at the same time.

If Baekhyun was alive at the hospital, who was the ghost that was living with him? He had just now begun trusting the ghost but was he living a lie? They looked exactly the same though. Were they twins or something because the ghost living with him had to be dead, shouldn't he?

Chanyeol’s mind then went to the paper Baekhyun and Dr. Zhang had written about astral projections he had found while looking up the ghost’s information on the company website. The paper had explained how the human soul could escape the body and still be alive. It was a defense strategy that had recently been put into action by the wizards.

However, wouldn't Baekhyun have told him if that was the case? Was it one of those scenarios where Baekhyun didn't know his soul had actually escaped but he was still alive? Was he even aware about his human form still being there? He should tell him about it. It was the only way to find out the truth. Without waiting for anything Chanyeol went to the apartment to confront the ghost about it.

“Baekhyun! Baekhyun. Where are you?” Baekhyun heard Chanyeol’s voice from the hallway followed by a loud thud of the door closing.

“In here” he answered but it seemed like Chanyeol hadn't heard him as he kept calling for him

“Baekhyun, why didn't you answer me?” the taller said as soon as he entered the bedroom. Baekhyun was sitting on the bed waiting expectantly for him. 

“I did. Didn't you hear me?”

“No.”

“Strange. Anyway, why were you calling for me? Everything alright?” Baekhyun said. 

Now that it was time to ask, Chanyeol was a bit unsure. He was sure about what he saw at the hospital but he didn't know how Baekhyun would react. He had to be as gentle as possible to break the news to him.

“So I was at the hospital,” Chanyeol said.

“Why? Are you all alright? Does the wound still hurt? What did Dr. Zhang say?” Chanyeol was bombarded with questions. The concern in his voice made Chanyeol want to believe that Baekhyun would never lie to him about anything. He crouched down in front of him as he waited for the ghost to calm down.

“I am fine, Baekhyun. I was just there to pick up my car. This is about you.” Chanyeol said.

“What about me?” Baekhyun asked, confused.

“I saw you at the hospital”

“Me? How is that possible? I was here the whole day.”

“It was your human form, Baekhyun and it looked very much alive to me,” Chanyeol said carefully observing the ghost’s face. It went from confused, to shocked, to sad in a second.

“Oh” was all Baekhyun said as his shoulder slouched. He refused to look at Chanyeol then. 

He knew it already, Chanyeol concluded.

“You already knew” It wasn't even a question and Baekhyun heard the hurt in his voice.

Chanyeol sat down on the floor as he looked at Baekhyun.

“I was just a fool to believe that you would share your thoughts with me like I do with you,” Chanyeol said after some time, “ but I guess I was wrong. I am just a wizard who was living in your house.”

“That is not what I think of you, Chanyeol.”

“How long have you known?” Chanyeol asked.

“From the day it happened.” 

“What happened that day Baekhyun, that you can't even talk about it?”

That was enough for Baekhyun to go back to the fateful day, the memories came rushing back to him as if they just waited on the edge to be let out. The pain, the hurt, the guilt attacked him all at once. He looked at Chanyeol for support but even the wizard looked at him with hurt in his eyes. Baekhyun felt that he was responsible for that pain too. It was the last straw as he felt the curse mark acting up. This time, Baekhyun did not do anything to soothe the pain, he let it take over. This time he couldn't look at Chanyeol and pretend that it was a different world like he usually did. Chanyeol knew some part of his past and instead of telling him how miserably he had failed to save people, he welcomed the waves of pain that were washing over him. He didn't want to let down one more person who he had grown to like. 

Chanyeol saw Baekhyun look at the tattoo on his hand. This time it was glowing green. Baekhyun continued staring at it but Chanyeol panicked.

“Baekhyun, why is your tattoo glowing?” 

“Baekhyun”

But Baekhyun didn't budge as he continued looking at the mark and welcoming the pain. _Give in,_ he heard the voice saying, and this time maybe he would. Everything else disappeared for him; it was only him and the mark that urged him to give in to the feeling instead of fighting it.

“Baekhyun!” Chanyeol could see his translucent form becoming transparent.

Will he disappear? the thought crossed his mind.

“BYUN BAEKHYUN” Chanyeol gave it his all as he shouted.

Baekhyun looked up. It felt like he had come out of a trance. His eyes held fear in them. He looked at Chanyeol and then back at the mark and then at Chanyeol and stared directly at him. 

Chanyeol didn't know what was happening but he kept his eyes on the ghost. He went towards the bed and crouched in front of him once again only to realize he couldn't hold his hands to soothe the pain that the shorter was going through.

“Everything is okay, Baekhyun. You are fine.” He was sputtering everything positive he knew, followed by anything that crossed his mind.

“The house is a mess but I don't want to clean it up. Is it bad that I don't want to? Does it make me a bad person?”

“I had the best day at the office today. Professor Chen praised me for our work yesterday. I wanted to ask him about you but I didn't for some reason”

“Maybe I should do something about it?”

“Corgis are cute pets. I might get one someday”

“It was awfully hot today. Considering how cold it has been last week, I had thought it would snow today. I don't think that will happen anytime soon now. Do you like snow Baekhyun? It always makes me think of hot chocolate and marshmallows”

“I got my car back today from the hospital. So um.., that is a good thing.”

“Sehun gave me a lift today. He is a really great colleague. That reminds me I need to call Junmyeon one of these days.”

“You know I color-coded my Rilakkuma collection this morning but you can rearrange it if you want to”

Chanyeol’s mind was going blank, there was nothing more that came to his mind. He looked around the room to find anything to talk about.

“Are you sure I can rearrange them?” He heard Baekhyun whisper and the taller exhaled out the breath he had held on. He turned to the source of the voice. Baekhyun still looked exhausted but the mark was not glowing anymore. That is supposed to be a good sign, right? 

“Are you okay?”

“I will be”

“You keep scaring me Byun Baekhyun.”

“I am sorry,” Baekyun said timidly.

Some time passed as Baekhyun tried his best to regain his strength.

“So that tattoo isn't a rebel act, I guess and you also already know it glows,” Chanyeol asked once both of them had recovered from the incident.

“Yes”

“What is this glowing mark?”

“It is a curse for all the mistakes I made three years ago. Whenever I feel down, guilty, or too sad, it glows up. It thrives on these emotions. There is always a voice telling me to give up. At times it is difficult not to give in.”

“How many things have you not told me, Baekhyun? We have been living together for some time now, I think I should know at least some of these things but you never bother to share. Even when you know almost everything about me.”

“Well to be honest, the mark hasn’t acted up ever since you moved in, except for a few days ago when you asked about it. So there was no reason to tell you about it.”

“So you’re saying, I make you happy?”

“Well, you distract me from those thoughts so yes Chanyeol, in a sense you make me happy.”

Chanyeol smiled at that and Baekhyun did too.

“I want to know what happened, will you tell me?” Chanyeol asked, “you know what they say, sharing your sorrow gives you more space to be happy.”

“No one says that.”

“I say that”

Was Baekhyun ready to do it? Can he trust the one person who was finally able to see him what a bad wizard he has been? 

“Just so you know Baekhyun, I can see you are having an internal struggle right now. You don't have to say it if you don't want to.”

Maybe it was time. Time to let it out. 

.

.

**_Three years ago,_ **

“This will be your first assignment as both a healer and a protector, Baekhyun,” Dr. Zhang said. 

Baekhyun sat in the conference room of Transcendental Securities INC., in front of the founding members of the company. Kim Chen, Wu YiFan, Zhang Yixing, Kim Kai and Doh Kyungsoo.

He had been working here for the past few years right from the time he graduated college. He worked under Professor Chen first and had now moved under Dr. Zhang this year after they thought he had learnt all there was to from Professor Chen.

“You’ve done well as my assistant for the past few months and I think you are finally ready to venture on your own. We know it is a bit early but you’ve done exceptionally well and we feel a person of your caliber should be on the field instead of sitting in the office all day.” the doctor continued while the others nodded in affirmation. 

Baekhyun looked at Professor Chen, who looked really proud of him. The wizard almost had tears in his eyes. This was the second time he had seen them all be so proud of him. The first time was when he had been moved to work with Dr. Zhang after training under professor Chen for years.

“Thank you” that was all he said, “ I don't know what to say here.” 

Everyone in the room chuckled. 

“From next week, you’ll be doing mock training with Dr. Zhang and the other field wizards to get a hang of things before the actual day. Since you are also an experienced protector, you will be learning how to use both the skill sets to your advantage on the field. You think you can do it, Baekhyun?” Professor YiFan asked.

“Definitely,” Baekhyun said, the excitement evident in his voice.

They talked for some more time before he was let go.

To say he was happy would be an understatement. He was bubbling with bursts of happiness all day and everyone in the office and the hospital had felt it. Apparently, he was the youngest person to be promoted so soon as an on-field wizard. Everyone had seen how hard he had been working so they knew he deserved all the praise that he received. 

The next week as he was informed was full of training. It was hard but Baekhyun thrived in being able to do something difficult and to cheer him on was his best friend Kim Minseok. He was a senior who had also worked under both the professors so he understood the struggles that Baekhyun would go through. He had helped Baekhyun a lot. 

Time passed and Baekhyun became really good at those on-field training. He was able to work through any instances thrown at him. At times he had to switch from healer to protector mode in an instant but he did it with such ease that he looked like those video game avatars that the teens liked to play. 

“Kick, jab, jump, somersault, freeze spell, the unconscious potion, pin to the ground, lock hands at the back, alert the center, tie the hands, and now we wait.”

Baekhyun was at the training area of the office and practicing on his own the moves that he planned to use. He had carefully selected them during the protector days. That day he was timing his speed. He had improved a lot but with the new healing spells added to his knowledge pool, he was trying to fit in too. 

“Will this help? But it takes a lot of time” He was talking to no-one in particular. He had to be on the field in a few days so he wanted to try all permutation and combinations possible. He had fought enough glooms to understand their patterns and mannerisms so he was going to use that knowledge to his advantage. 

.

.

His first on-field task was successful. With the help of his seniors and Dr. Zhang, they were able to capture the gloom who had taken over a human and Baekhyun had successfully healed the human back to health. It took longer than he had expected it to but that was okay. He could work on improving his timings as he continued working. From then on, Baekhyun made sure to be available for all the assignments that came their way. He had partnered up with Minseok. They understood each other well even without speaking which they often used as an advantage to confuse the glooms. 

One such night, Baekhyun and Minseok were patrolling around the city. They weren't alone, some people from the flight security accompanied them too as they kept eyes for any long ranger dangers that could possibly be missed from the ground.

“When are you going to ask Dr. Lu out, Hyung?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“Please don't act all unaware. You know what I am talking about.”

“2 o'clock” Minseok exclaimed suddenly.

Baekhyun turned his head around in the direction. There was a man walking around aimlessly in the same block. They stopped and observed him. Baekhyun contacted the flight security wizards through their Bluetooth devices active all the time and they confirmed that is what they were seeing too. Both of them walked towards the target staring at it right in the eye. Shocked at being caught, the man began running towards the crowd. The duo split up, Minseok followed him while the younger went the other way. 

Baekhyun went around the block and entered one of the vacant alleys. He informed the other about his position and waited there. He had his rope ready in his hands that he liked to keep with him just in case. As soon as he saw the man pass by he threw the rope with controlled precision and speed. The rope latched itself on the man’s neck. When the other end of the rope was back in his hand after wrapping around the neck, Baekhyun pulled it, getting the man away from the human eyes. Alarmed at being caught and powerless, the man started throwing punches that barely reached Baekhyun.

“Really? That is all you’ve got? Minseok hyung, do the deed.” he put the gloom infested human on the ground and locked his hands at the back with the same rope and got back. He pressed the buzzer to alert the center from his phone while Minseok performed a spell to get the gloom out of the human and into the specialized pouches made for caging them. By the time he was done, the center team arrived.

“This was the seventh one for the Min-Hyun duo.” Baekhyun exclaimed once they had given their testimonies and taken to the hospital. Both of them were sitting in the general ward of the hospital waiting to be treated. 

“Wait wasn't it eight?” Minseok asked.

“No definitely seventh”

Dr. Lu Han, working under Dr. Zhang entered the room to treat their wounds.

“Don't you guys take a break? This is your fourth day in a row.”

“Nope, there is no time to rest. The world needs to be saved” Baekhyun said all serious.

“And only the Min-Hyun duo is capable of doing it?” Dr. Lu mocked the younger as he continued treating the small cut on the older wizard.

“Well, we need you too, Dr. Lu. Who would keep us healthy while we save it?” Minseok joined in the seriousness.

“Hyung, that was really a lot cheesy. Why don't you both just date already?” Baekhyun said. 

Minseok’s eyes held panic and his cheeks held the color red. Luhan just coughed and continued tending the wound.

.

.

Baekhyun had grown used to this life now. His body had involuntary reflexes that he wasn't even sure of. He had become more alert with time and a lot more detail oriented. Sadly, this meant he had to lose a lot of sleep. He missed the time when he could just pass out cold without a care in the world. As a result, his body was low on sleep but high on caffeine. It was his fourth cup of coffee that night as he tried to stay awake. One sip of that hot bitter liquid and he felt a lot better. Minseok sat at his desk near the control room. Apparently, they were punished for doing a lot more tasks than was possible for wizards, so on Dr. Zhang’s strict orders, the duo was asked to do desk jobs for a week straight. It was their fourth day and both of them were bored out of their minds. It had been a relatively quiet week so they had literally nothing to do.

“My body is not at all used to just sitting around,” Minseok complained.

“The feeling is mutual. Just three more days and then we will be back on the field.” Baekhyun tried to look at the brighter side of things, “Should we just go to the training room and burn out the adrenaline?” Baekhyun added as an afterthought, sipping his coffee.

“Normally I would be up for that but I am too sleepy,” Minseok said, yawning loudly enough to have Professor Kai look at him. The professor just ignored it and went back to whatever he was doing.

“You could have some coffee.” Baekhyun offered his cup to the senior.

“I am trying to quit. Dr. Lu has specially asked me to stop” Minseok complained.

“And you don't go against Dr. Lu, but one coffee doesn't hurt anyone. In fact, we need it for the job we have.” Baekhyun reasoned. 

“Yeah but you know how I am with coffee. I can't stop at just one.”

“Suit yourself then. I am going to have mine.” Baekhyun slurped loudly making sure Minseok was watching him the whole time while the older just glared at him.

Suddenly, a distress call rang out. One of the control room operators was quick to answer it. After getting the basic information, the call was transferred to Professor Kai. 

The operator shouted out the gist of the case.

“Two healer wizards, one male, one female, from Incheon, encountered a sick wizard. They were about to heal him when he attacked them with an accomplice gloom, one of them is injured and they are requesting both protector and healer wizards ASAP.”

“Do we have the locations?” the professor asked.

“Yes,” One of the other operators shouted out as the map with the location was pulled up on the screen.

“What about our patrolling protectors, anyone in the vicinity?”

“No sir, everyone seems far away” The locations of the other wizards on the field popped up on the map.

“What is the closest place from their location?” 

“It's the center, Professor.” One female operator wizards said. 

Professor Kai turned around and his eyes fell on the duo sitting by the side desk observing the whole scene. They looked hopefully back at him, pleading for him to let them go. This was their best chance, there was no other way. 

“Hello Sir, we will be sending in back up in T minus five minutes. We have you on the radar, so don't worry about a thing.” 

He then turned to the duo, “ Get in gear, you have 3 minutes.” he barked and switched the call to other protectors on patrol ordering them to reach the destination as well for backup. 

In no time the Min-Hyun duo was ready to charge in action. Even though a bit hesitant, Minseok did finally take a large gulp of the bitter coffee. Informing Kai, both of them left for the scene after checking their first aid kits and connecting their Bluetooth to the center. 

The air was humid yet cold, the cool breeze gave an impression of rain.

“Is it supposed to rain tonight?” Minseok asked.

“The forecast didn't say so, so it probably will ”

They both chuckled.

As soon as they reached the destination, they took their positions. It was an old broken-down church, famous for its glass dome ceiling, which was still intact even if the church looked worn down. Tourists from all over the country came to visit it. Bekhyun figured this couple was also someone like that.

The younger followed Minseok as he looked for threats around. Everything was quiet, a bit too quiet if you asked Minseok. They entered the building and found two people inside. A woman lying on the floor and a man crouching beside her. Confirming that they were the people who had called the center, they went ahead to help them. 

Baekhyun informed the center that they had found the distress callers through the earpiece that he was wearing. Minseok had already crouched before the woman. She looked weak, so Minseok missed the glint in her eyes as he came forward. Baekhyun didn't miss it though. 

“Hyung!” He shouted.

The older of the two turned to the other, but it was too late. Baekhyun saw the woman get up and hit Minseok right on the back of his head. Minseok fell down on the spot, there was no blood indicating the hit was not that strong.

Her face was a bit distorted, a sign that she had been taken over by a powerful gloom just recently. Her actual face then became visible once the gloom had adjusted to her body. 

The husband, on the other hand, didn't look weak, his face wasn't distorted so Baekhyun wasn't sure if he had been taken over by the gloom or not as of yet. Baekhyun shared his observations with Kai at the center as the male got up and stared him down. Baekhyun quickly alerted the center of the situation and took his position to fight off the glooms. He looked over at Minseok once but the wizard was passed out cold. He quickly used a protection spell for the senior before turning back to his fight position as the woman stood up too.

Both of them jumped up in the air, one went to his left and the other attacked directly. Baekhyun blocked the first blow with ease but was barely able to avoid the second one from the left. He kicked the man in his shin making him lose balance while tactfully avoiding the punch the woman was throwing at him. Both of them fell to the ground. Baekhyun took a leap in the air, took out his wand, and cast a spell to tie them together using magic. He landed on his feet right in front of them after he was done. He could see the couple struggle as they grunted at him while trying to get out of the hold. Those glooms were strong, Baekhyun was sure that he couldn't control them by just using a simple spell, it wouldn't keep them in control for long.

No sooner had that thought crossed his mind, that he saw the man break free from the spell and charged towards Baekhyun with his wand in hand. He mumbled some spell and pointed towards the wizard but Baekhyun was expecting it already and quickly used a protection spell to save himself. The dance continued for a while.

While the woman still struggled to break free from the spell, Minseok had already come back to his senses. Quick on his feet, he went to the lady and cast another spell to strengthen the bonds. The woman grunted in frustration. Minseok smirked as the woman continued to struggle with the stronger spell. Once he was sure the lady wouldn't be able to move for a while, he went to Baekhyun to fight the other gloom.

“Both of you seem to fight well. I just might spare your lives if you agree to be on my side” the man said, impressed by the duo.

“In your dreams,” Baekhyun said, continuing the fight.

“I mean there are a lot of perks working for me,” The man said, trying to sound convincing.

“And who are you?” Minseok asked.

“He’s Xi Sha” The woman answered instead. She had apparently freed herself from the bonds finally as she jumped to stand beside the man.

The best friends were stunned for a second realizing whom they were standing against. Alarmed, they looked at each other and sent this vital piece of information back to the center. 

Xi Sha was the oldest of the glooms who was responsible for the chaos that these elements of the dark were causing in the world, the strongest. There was no way that mere wizards could contain these levels of attacks. The two wizards held their grounds but they knew it was a losing battle. Baekhyun pressed the button once again for back up to be sent.

To their surprise, the entire night crew had arrived at the door including Dr. Zhang and his team from the hospital. They could even see Prof. Kyungsoo, Kai, YiFan, and Chen in their combat uniform. Every soul in the room halted, there was no movement at all. Baekhyun was afraid to even breathe.

“Oh look who we have here. It is my old friend Chen” the man said as he saw the professors. Everyone looked at the professor in question then. 

“We’ve told you to stay away from the city if you don't want to be wiped out from the face of the earth, Xi Sha but you don't seem to get it.” Professor Chen said.

“You can just try killing me then, Chen. Oh, that’s right, you can't do it, you're weak just like your friends.” Xi Sha taunted and the woman beside him snorted.

“That changes today. Right here, right now!”

“I would like to see you try” Xi Sha taunted.

“Everyone else stays back, we will take over from here” Professor Chen announced then and all the wizards took a step back collectively.

The professors and the glooms charged in at once to attack, as the juniors stood back and watched their professors take charge. They were so in sync with one another that they didn't even need to talk, they just understood each other. Professor YiFan took control of securing the parameter and keeping an eye for any other glooms that emerged as he soared towards the ceiling, Professor Chen and Kyungsoo attacked from the ground, Professor Kai used his teleportation spell to confuse the glooms and Dr. Zhang attacked them with reversed healing spells. Spells were shot continuously. The glooms stood no chance at all, they tried escaping but Professor Yifan had blocked all the entrances. 

In no time they had both of them tied up and powerless. Minseok and some other seniors took over and held them captive making sure there were no sudden movements. The man was almost on the verge of passing out but the woman was still holding her own. She lashed out her body and grunted as the magical reigns burned over her human flesh invoking sparks of pain in the human body. She looked at the man who was taken over by her boss and saw the weakening spirit in his eyes. The rage within her to make the wizard payback made her see red.

The younger wizards were starstruck and in awe of how well-coordinated this whole fight was. This was the first time they had seen all of their professors in action who usually refrained from using their powers, but today was a different day. 

“Wow, who would have thought there would be a day we witness this.” one of the juniors exclaimed and the others just nodded in response.

Maybe it was the sudden drop in the tension of the room or the struggling figure of the gloom-infested witch making everyone sigh in relief as they began making arrangements to go back to the company that no one even noticed how slyly the woman had freed herself from the bonds. She continued to struggle as she pretended to be tied up.

When she was sure no one was paying her any attention, she lashed her body around with all the force her human form could conjure up and freed herself from all the wizards holding her. As a last attempt to avenge Xi Sha, she chanted a spell and directed it towards whoever stood near her. Unfortunately, it was Minseok. His body fell to the ground in an instant with a loud thud. Everything in the room halted for the second time that night as Baekhyun watched his best friend struggle. He wanted to run towards him but Dr. Zhang got there first. Minseok was still struggling on the ground as his body convulsed due to the effects of the curse. The doctor barked orders at his assistants and they all scrambled away trying their best to do everything to save their colleague.

Baekhyun stood there motionless but as he saw his best friend lose consciousness he ran towards his side. 

“Minseok Hyung, Minseok Hyung. Wake up! Wake up hyung what are you doing?” Baekhyun cried, and Dr. Zhang asked him to stay at a distance as a small team took him back to the hospital. Baekhyun couldn't process anything. He wanted to run to the hospital with his friend. 

“Byun Baekhyun” He heard Dr. Zhang call. He looked at the professor. 

“I need you to perform the spell to extract the glooms from these humans. Can you do it?” 

Baekhyun nodded. Minseok was being taken care of. All he had to do was concentrate on the task at hand where help was needed. He wiped his tears as tried to get his emotions in check.

Both the glooms were unconscious as Baekhyun reached towards where they were. Baekhyun concentrated hard and started the ritual with the woman first. The gloom shouted a gut wrenching scream before the body collapsed. The black smoke that left her body was collected by a junior. 

Another healer then took over. While the healer tried his best to heal the human body and free their soul Baekhyun moved towards the man. The man looked like he was about to pass out but that didn't stop from speaking up as he saw the young wizard come up to him.

“So it looked like that pretty boy was your best friend. How does it feel that your friend is lying there on deathbed fighting for his life while you are here, not bothered?”

Minseok’s unconscious body came to his mind when the man said that and his heart hurt. Baekhyun tried his best to concentrate, but the continuous blame being thrown at him started affecting him. There was a looming sadness that was ready to take him over. He chanted the spell but the gloom didn't stop talking.

“It doesn't look like you care about him at all. You are like the worst best friend to ever exist in the world. You need to die, not him. After all it was because of you that he was even hit by me. If you hadn't called him he wouldn't have turned and this wouldn't have happened.”

The voice was getting closer. Baekhyun chanted the spell again, trying harder to not falter.

_Give in, Byun Baekhyun. I know you want to. Do it. It is better than living with the truth that you killed your own best friend._

Baekhyun was tempted and he paused mid-chant. But his soul had a mind of their own. Before the gloom could even enter his body, the soul escaped rendering the body useless. Glooms drew energy from the soul, without the soul the body was nothing but garbage. 

A loud shrill rang out for the third time that night. This one coincided with the thunder of the skies. Baekhyun looked up as small droplets collided against the glass and the world turned upside down for him after that.

.

.

.

**_Present Day,_ **

“I got this mark that night itself. A curse for not being able to save my friend and those humans.” Baekhyun said as he noticed the mark had begun glowing once again.

“What happened to Minseok?” Chanyeol asked, pulling Baekhyun out of his thoughts.

“I don't know. He wasn't at the hospital nor was Dr. Lu” Baekhyun said.

“Didn't you try to find him?”

“I wasn't ready to face the truth. This way, there is at least a chance that he is alive somewhere if not here.” Chanyeol noticed the mark too.

“Look at me Baekhyun. You said I make you happy so just concentrate on that feeling now.” 

Baekhyun looked up at him and held his stare. 

Chanyeol was trying hard to convey what he felt. He was sure Baekhyun didn't need to blame himself And the shorter was doing the best he could, so Chanyeol was going to help him by any means. 

It became easier for Baekhyun to bear the pain because he had Chanyeol there comforting him. He could feel that the taller believed in him completely. Something even Baekhyun wasn't able to do for the past three years. His heart would have warmed right now if he had a functioning one. 

“I am fine,” He said and Chanyeol sighed in relief. 

“Can I see the mark?” he asked then.

Baekhyun raised his hands to show it to him.

Chanyeol observed it carefully, it definitely looked like a curse mark that they had studied in the university, but the glowing part didn't make sense. 

“No curse marks have ever glowed in the past. It is odd and you say it only glows when you are sad or guilty, right?”

Baekhyun nodded as he listened to what Chanyeol had to say.

“It does look like a curse mark but something is off about it,” Chanyeol said as he got up to go to his desk.

Baekhyun observed the mark once again. He was being careful this time around. He had just accepted it as a curse and lived with it for the past three years but Chanyeol sounded confident that something was odd. He was scared and hopeful that maybe the wizard was right about it. He scanned the mark over and over again.

Chanyeol had his laptop opened and was looking through his notes and reference books at the same time. There had to be something as he looked for the common curse mark section. It didn't take him that long for him to do it. He had that image pulled up and ready as he called Baekhyun forward.

Baekhyun kept his hand up as both of them examined the two things.

Both the marks were far too similar to be able to understand the difference at first but as they concentrated the distinct variations became evident. Even if the mark on Baekhyun’s hand was a hexagonal maze, there was no single escape route out of the maze, all the exit routes were blocked. This was not how the original curse mark was, it allowed an exit route.

Wizards knew how to reverse the original mark but this, no one had seen such a mark. Baekhyun and Chanyeol looked at each other confused. They didn't know what to make out of that. The curse marks didn't glow but this one did. 

“It isn't the traditional mark then” Baekhyun said dejectedly. It was something he already knew and now the taller knew it too.

“Yes.” was all Chanyeol could say, “ but the good news is we can now talk to Dr. Zhang about the mark and find out what it actually is.”

Baekhyun nodded but the taller could see the evident sadness in his eyes as the ghost took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes in frustration.

“Hey Baekhyun, you need to calm down okay? We will find what this mark means and get it away from you, I promise” Chanyeol said in an attempt to console the ghost.

“Thank you Chanyeol” 

“We need to go to Dr. Zhang.” the taller said after some time.

“We do” 

.

.

.

Chanyeol and Baekhyun had decided to go to the hospital after work. Baekhyun was going to meet him directly at the hospital so he decided to leave work as soon as the clock hit six.

Chanyeol didn’t even pay attention to what Sehun was saying as he passed him on the way to his car. His heart had not stopped beating until he had parked in the hospital parking and met Baekhyun at the entrance.

“You ready?” he asked as soon as he reached the door.

“No, but let’s go.”

Chanyeol followed Baekhyun to the office. He knocked twice and entered when Dr. Zhang asked him to.

“Oh, Chanyeol. Does it still hurt?”

“Umm…” Chanyeol didn’t know what he was referring to while Baekhyun just facepalmed.

“Your mouth. Isn’t that why you made this appointment?”

“Oh. No actually. I had something important to talk to you.”

“Okay, go ahead”

“It is about Byun Baekhyun.”

.

.

Chen saw Chanyeol dash out of the room for the second time that week. He didn’t know what was keeping his assistant so engaged.

“Probably got a girlfriend,” He thought as he continued working on his report about Chanyeol, that he needed to present to the other board members. He was sure that most of them had seen him working hard the past few months, but it was mandatory so that they could decide if he could be hired as a permanent employee. After the report he received from Kai about the test conducted during the weekend, he was sure that the next meeting would only be a formality.

He went to the cafeteria for a snack before submitting the final report, where he met Kyungsoo silently having his lunch.

“Isn’t it a bit late for lunch, professor Kyungsoo?”

Kyungsoo looked up at him mid-bite with huge eyes.

“Oh, it's you. I thought it was some junior.” He said after having a bite from the sandwich as Chen sat down across him.

“You’re late for your lunch too. Too much work at the office?”

“No. Just writing out a report for Park Chanyeol. You know how much I hate typing out things.”

“Park Chanyeol? your assistant?”

“Yeah. This one remains silent most of the time”

“I know what you mean. I had the same observation too when he was sent to my team for the week. He is too quiet, and I liked that. He did his training in silence, only spoke when spoken to. I almost thought he would not be good during practicals, but he did well. His techniques are not only unique but better than the other officers at times.”

“Wow that is a lot of praise coming from you, this had never happened. Looks like we have another good employee selected.” Chen said a smile on his face.

They ate in silence for a while.

“You know Kyungsoo, he makes me think of Byun Baekhyun from time to time. His way of working, doing things, and his dedication to his work.”

Kyungsoo just nodded in response.

“Have you heard anything from Yixing?” Kyungsoo said after a while.

“Nothing. You?”

The other professor shook his head. 

After lunch, Chen decided to visit Baekhyun’s in the hospital that day instead of his office. He got into his car and began driving. Chen also hoped there was some improvement or Yixing had something good to share with him. 

The events from three years ago were back in his thoughts. 

Many things happened that night, things they didn’t even account for to happen. They had Xi Sha under control but even then, he was able to escape before the healers could cage him into the pouch. Kim Minseok had been attacked out of nowhere and he died while being taken to the hospital. Baekhyun who was performing the ritual collapsed suddenly. When Yixing checked his vitals, he was alive and breathing but his soul had escaped the body. Yixing had even searched the perimeter of the church looking for Baekhyun’s soul, but he couldn’t find him. The wizards who Baekhyun had tried to save were unable to overcome the damages the glooms had caused even with all the healing power used by Yixing. They died the next day after their human forms gave up completely.

Chen felt responsible for everything that night. The very reason he started Transcendental Securities was to save those in need, but he had miserably failed to hold up the mission. Even after the incident, everyone had tried their best to find Baekhyun because he was the only one from that day, they still had a chance of saving.

He hid the guilt that he carried around very well with a fake smile on his face. Only his close friends knew how much he blamed himself for everything. They had tried to console him on numerous occasions but somehow the guilt never went away. Even as he sat in his car, his heart felt heavy. Saving Baekhyun was going to be the only way to free himself from at least a part of the guilt and so he had been trying his best to find a solution.

“Well well well, is that guilt I smell coming from you, my friend?” a voice spoke from beside him and Chen turned his head swiftly.

“What are you doing here, Xi Sha?” Chen said as he saw the dark smokey figure sitting beside. It blended well with the car covers so anyone on the outside couldn't even see it.

“It was your guilt that pulled me towards you” the gloom replied nonchalantly.

“I don't feel anything. You must be mistaken.”

“Oh no Chen, the lying just increased the level of guilt. Now tell me, doesn't your heart feel heavy?”

“Go away if you don't want me to end you right now,” Chen said looking around as he stopped at a traffic light. The counter displayed a wait time of sixty seconds. There were a lot of people around, he couldn't risk starting a fight here.

“You did say that last time too, but you failed miserably. Just like you failed to save all those people.”

Xi s=Sha had hit the nerve. Chen couldn't deny that it was affecting him. He tried to keep his emotion in check to fight the guilt that was overcoming his sense but having a gloom beside him only multiplied his emotions instead of controlling them. 

“Just give up Chen, I know you want to.” The voice was now in his head instead of coming from beside him.

Panicked, the professor looked beside him. He wanted the signal to turn green so that he could channel some of his consciousness to focus on the driving. There were thirty seconds left on the timer.

“Yes I smell panic too, good good. You're doing good. I already have some control over your body. With this, I can completely take over” Xi Sha laughed out loud and it resonated within Chen’s entire body.

“Like it, Chen? This is what I call slow poison. You can’t fight it because you’ll just be fighting against yourself, tiring yourself out and helping me take over quickly” The professor didn’t pay any heed and just willed his body to control his consciousness and replace some of the guilt with anything random. Ten seconds on the timer.

His eyes fell on the rearview mirror as he saw the panic in himself. Chen tried, he tried really hard, but he could see that he was weakening as the seconds passed. His eyes shone a bright pink for a few seconds before he felt himself lose all control.

“Here here, you fought hard but now it is time for you to sleep. ” Xi Sha said as he took complete control of his body.

“Don’t worry, Chen. I’ll take care of you.” He said dusting the invisible dirt off his new body. He drove off as soon as the signal turned green.

.

.

.

“Byun Baekhyun? How do you know him?” Dr. Zhang asked.

“I live with him. Actually, it’s his soul that I live with.” Chanyeol said and proceeded to explain the whole situation to the doctor.

Dr. Zhang listened intently. He wasn’t sure if he should believe the wizard in front of him or was this just another prank someone was playing. However, Chanyeol spoke so passionately about everything that Dr. Zhang couldn’t not believe him. He did have some reserves about the whole story but the doctor kept them to himself.

“You mean to say Baekhyun is in the room?” Dr. Zhang asked once Chanyeol was done.

“Yes.” He replied while the ghost nodded. Yixing looked around trying to locate Baekhyun but he wasn't able to see him. 

“Why isn’t he visible to me then?”

“It has something to do with the mark. I can’t even see other souls or glooms around me. Tell him about the mark, Chanyeol” Baekhyun answered.

Chanyeol relayed the message.

“There is a mark on his hand that looks exactly like a curse mark, but it is a bit different. He thinks maybe that is the reason”

Chanyeol knows about the mark too? Is it really Baekhyun? Should he trust the wizard? Yixing thoughts were running wild. 

“Hmm... Can you draw out the mark on the board for me Chanyeol?” Dr. Zhang said because he thought this could be a good point for the wizard to falter if he was lying. However, he saw Chanyeol walk towards the board in his office confidently.

Chanyeol got to work while Baekhyun stood beside him, his hand up in the air.

Dr. Zhang was observing his every move, he could see Chanyeol peeping at something on the side before he continued drawing. Was Baekhyun beside him? He tried concentrating on the space beside the wizard and mumbled a quick spell that could make any soul in the vicinity visible.

A lot of them became visible to Dr. Zhang but there was no Baekhyun. Chanyeol didn't seem to notice any other soul as he continued sketching the mark.

“Does it look proper?” Chanyeol asked but the question wasn’t directed at the doctor.

“Yes,” Baekhyun said.

Chanyeol then turned back to the doctor, not even noticing the short human soul that was looking at the wizard in close proximity.

“This is it.” Chanyeol then explained why the mark was odd. Dr. Zhang obviously knew why but he wanted to understand what the wizard thought of it. The more he heard Chanyeol speak, the more he was inclined to trust him. 

“That is correct.” Dr. Zhang replied once the wizard was done explaining, “Which hand does he have it on?” the doctor asked next.

Chanyeol checked to make sure before he replied, “left” and the doctor just nodded. 

Everything that Chanyeol was saying made sense but he was still not sure if he should be trusting him. There had been a lot of false alarms in the past that sounded true at first. He had to make sure that it wasn't another hoax before he told them what the mark actually was.

“Baekhyun, do you have a question about any professors?” Dr. Zhang asked. Whatever Chanyeol said next would determine the authenticity of the whole thing because Baekhyun would have an idea what the questions meant.

Chanyeol turned to his left thoroughly confused by what Dr. Zhang wanted Baekhyun to say but the ghost was aware of what the doctor was hinting at. Baekhyun thought about it for a minute before settling on the most obvious question.

“Did Professor Kai and Kyungsoo finally begin dating?” Baekhyun said and Chanyeol translated with a confused expression. 

Dr. Zhang just laughed. It indeed was Baekhyun.

“They have been happily married for two years now.” Dr. Zhang informed as he asked them to follow him.

This was all new information to Chanyeol. He didn't even know if the professors were dating anyone but two of them being married to each other? That was something Chanyeol hadn't even imagined,especially Professor Kai. Sehun was going to cry rivers once he found out about them. Chanyeol really felt bad for him

The doctor led them towards the VVIP ward and Chanyeol guessed they were going to Baekhyun’s room. He asked both of them to go and wait inside while he went to the reception table.

“Wow I had a whole private room for myself? I could have just chilled here instead of that empty house.” Baekhyun exclaimed as soon as they entered the room. Chanyeol rolled his eyes.

“Oh god what is wrong with my body? I look so weak and pale. What has this hospital done to me? How did this happen? Dr. Zhang you have to fix this.” Baekhyun’s jaw had dropped.

Chanyeol just blankly stared at his sudden outburst, “I didn't know you cared about your looks so much.” Chanyeol commented. 

“Normally I don't but this is outrageous. How could this happen?”

“I think you not being in there had a lot to do with it.” Chanyeol said.

“Wow that was mean. You know I can't go in there.”

“Do you think Dr. Zhang knows a way to solve this?” Chanyeol asked instead. 

“I mean I am sure he knows. Why would he bring us here then?”

“Didn't he have doubts if I was faking it all?”

“Oh he definitely did. He was gauging your behaviour closely. It wasn't until I asked about Professor Kai and Kyungsoo that he actually believed it all. That and the mark.”

“I didn't even realize they were dating and I’ve worked under both of them.”

“It is not your fault, Professor Kyungsoo doesn't like PDA”

“Sehun should have known about this. I am surprised he hasn’t told me about it yet, maybe he doesn't know.” He made a mental note to tell the younger about it.

“Well he is your best friend, you would be dying to tell him the gossip.”

“I won't call him my best friend yet.”

“But you consider him your friend now?” Baekhyun asked fully aware of what the taller was going to say next. 

“Yes”

“You can't not consider him your friend-, wait what?” to say that Baekhyun was surprised at that would be an understatement. The shorter was beyond baffled and it showed on his face.

Chanyeol, himself, looked shocked at the sudden admission. Luckily they didn't have to address it as Dr. Zhang returned to the room at that moment. 

“Sorry about that. Did he already complain about his looks?” Dr. Zhang asked and Chanyeol just nodded, not really looking at the ghost.

“He tends to do that sometimes.” Dr. Zhang said as he checked the chart.

The doctor went forward and overturned human Baekhyun’s left hand so that the wrist was visible. He positioned the hand upright so that the mark on it was visible to Chanyeol. 

“Isn't it the same mark, Chanyeol?” 

Chanyeol walked ahead as his hands lightly held the wrist in his hand while Baekhyun just crouched a bit towards it. It took only a single glance for them to confirm that it was the same one.

Chanyeol nodded signaling his affirmation as he straightened.

“The mark has been on the wrist ever since that day. We didn't know what it meant either. Everyone was convinced that it was a curse that was bestowed upon Baekhyun until Professor Chen pointed out the exact difference between the two. The same conclusion you came to Chanyeol” Dr. Zhang explained.

“Professor Chen is really cool,” Chanyeol said, relaying what Baekhyun said.

“We tried understanding what the mark meant then but we had little information about it. It was difficult because none of us had ever come across it ever in the past. It felt like a lost cause too, as there were no signs of improvement in Baekhyun’s health whatsoever. There were times when his body gave up almost to the point where we had to attach the mechanical ventilation for support, but there were also times where the body was almost fine but Baekhyun didn't seem to wake up even then. In fact, it was just yesterday that it went into another cardiac attack and we had to perform shock therapy. However, the heart was back to functioning well on its own even before we began the process.”

Baekhyun looked at Chanyeol who was already looking at him.

“What time was this exactly, Dr. Zhang?” Baekhyun asked and Chanyeol relayed it.

“Between seven and nine p.m.” 

“It was also the time when my mark had started acting up,” Baekhyun said, trying to connect the dots in his mind.

“Do you think it has something to do with the mark? The mark that he has glows green whenever he is sad, depressed, in pain or in guilt and coincidentally it also happened during the time the body went into the attack.” Chanyeol was only thinking out loud.

“Well, it is a possibility. Normally, the human body draws its power from the soul that lives inside it. When the soul leaves the body, it still remains attached to it by an invisible thread that connects both of them together. However, with the soul away for long, the human form becomes weaker as time passes and if the soul diverts the energy to something else, the mark in Baekhyun’s case, the body naturally has to go through the repercussions which could also lead to death.” Dr. Zhang explained.

A somber atmosphere settled in the room after that. 

“So the only way to keep the body safe would be for Baekhyun to be as close to him as possible right?” Chanyeol asked and Dr. Zhang nodded.

Baekhyun looked at his human form. He felt sorry that it had to go through all of that just because he was being hard on himself.

I am sorry, he whispered to himself and promised that he would do all he could to keep both of them safe and healthy. A lone tear escaped from the human Baekhyun’s eyes even as it laid there lifeless. No one seemed to notice it except for Baekhyun. It was like the body expressed the emotions he felt in some way or the other.

“This mark, it is a new type of curse right? How can we get rid of it?” Chanyeol asked on behalf of Baekhyun. The ghost hadn't even realized that Chanyeol had asked the very questions he wanted to ask since the time he found out about the mark.

“Yes, it is a new kind. I’ve called the meeting to discuss it with the other professors. Now that we know Baekhyun is here, I am sure we can find a way to reverse it.” Dr. Zhang answered truthfully.

He then turned to look at Baekhyun who laid on the bed.

“I am sorry Baekhyun we weren't able to find you soon. I will do everything in my power to get you back on your feet as soon as possible.” He looked at Chanyeol once again, “ I will give you a call once we find a solution. Till then, make sure you don't tell anyone about it. No one must know that you are aware of it, not even the other professors. I won't be disclosing your name to anyone. We don't want this information falling into the wrong hands. It could be fatal for you and Baekhyun”

Chanyeol nodded in understanding but Baekhyun still looked lost in his thoughts.

Dr. Zhang left the room after giving one last glance at everyone. Chanyeol followed him outside and the ghost stayed back.

“Umm... Dr. Zhang,” Chanyeol put his hands inside his hoodie pocket, a sign he was nervous.

“What is it, Chanyeol?” 

“What happened to the couple? The one that Baekhyun was trying to save that night?” Chanyeol finally asked after hesitating for a bit.

Dr. Zhang’s face darkened and Chanyeol understood that the news wasn't going to be a good one.

“They weren't strong enough.” Dr. Zhang said after a while, “ Baekhyun had extracted the glooms from their bodies but they couldn't make it.” It was hard for him to speak about that day. Many lives were lost, many lives he failed to save. 

Chanyeol understood what the doctor was saying and could see how difficult it was for the doctor to go back to that day. He felt bad for asking the next question.

“And what about Minseok?” He asked hesitantly.

“He told you about Minseok too?” Dr. Zhang asked, surprised. Baekhyun seemed to trust this wizard a lot and from the looks of it, the wizard cared for him too but wasn't aware of it.

Chanyeol wasn't even aware that he was doing this for Baekhyun because he didn't want the ghost to come across any other sad news alone. He wanted to be there for him when he found out about it so he just mumbled, “I am the only one who can see and hear him so…” as that seemed a plausible reason to him for the ghost to share everything about his life.

“He didn't even make it to the hospital,” Dr. Zhang said and Chanyeol’s face fell, “Make sure to be very gentle when you break this news to him, Chanyeol. Minseok was like the older brother to Baekhyun.” the doctor said as he patted him. Chanyeol nodded in understanding.

When Chanyeol went back inside the room he saw Baekhyun sitting on the bed looking at himself.

“Baekhyun”, The ghost only hummed in response, not looking at the taller.

“Do you want to stay back in the hospital for the night?” Chanyeol asked. Dr. Zhang did say that it was the only way to keep both of them safe.

“Yes.” 

Chanyeol wanted to ask if he should stay back with him as well but something told him that Baekhyun wanted to be alone at that moment.

Baekhyun was lost in his thoughts after that. He didn't even react when Chanyeol asked if he wanted anything or when the wizard was taking his leave. 

.

.

Xi Sha entered the hospital’s conference room as Chen. The other professors were already seated waiting for his arrival. He had no idea what all this was about and hoped he could just fake his way through it. He hadn't taken over the body just to attend boring annual meetings of the company. He had a plan to implement. 

“Chen’s here” Kyungsoo stated as he noticed him come in and indicated for him to sit beside him.

Xi Sha gladly did so. 

“What is the meeting about Yixing hyung?” Kai, the youngest of them, asked. 

“We found Baekhyun” was all he said before the room fell silent. Yixing could see all of them go through a range of emotions at once. There was happiness yet doubt and fear that it was another hoax.

That was the name Xi Sha hadn't thought about in a while... While everyone in the room shared their disbelief, Xi Sha just sneered quietly. 

The gloom still remembered the way he was humiliated by his peers when they found that a mere amateur wizard was able to outsmart him. Xi Sha wasn't the one at fault there. He didn't know that the wizards had already mastered the art of having their souls leave their bodies on command but that is not what the other glooms cared about. They only cared about teasing him about how miserably he had failed. They only shut up when they heard that Xi Sha had in fact cursed the boy and his soul, blocking his soul from entering his body. 

There was no way he could have been found by anyone. The mark was strong enough to keep the soul away from the sights of the most powerful wizards. How had they found him? Somehow this meeting became a lot more interesting than he had expected it to be.

“Are you sure it is not a false alarm again?” YiFan asked what everyone wanted to ask.

“I am sure this time.” Yixing sounded confident making everyone want to believe it too.

“How did you find him?” Xi Sha asked.

“It was one of the interns who did. Baekhyun contacted me earlier today with the help of this intern and told me about the situation he was in” He told everyone what he had learned about Baekhyun and the mark in great detail. He even added his own deductions to it.

If this intern was powerful enough to see a soul that no one would, Xi Sha definitely wanted him in his army. He made sure to get more information about him later as the conversation around him continued.

As more information about the mark was shared, the others started pouring out their thoughts about it. Kyungsoo silently made notes of what everyone was saying into the book that was filled with their prior knowledge about the mark. He had it drawn out too. 

Xi Sha took a peek into the book to find out what these people already knew. He just chuckled internally. These fools had only scratched the surface of what the mark did, he thought. Chen would have been the only person who could connect the dots back to him, it was not going to be possible now though. To not seem suspicious, Xi Sha did join in the conversation from time to time.

“According to what you said, it looks like the mark is not only there to stop Baekhyun’s soul from entering the body but also to turn him into a gloom” Kai stated. 

That was clearly a great hypothesis as everyone nodded in understanding. Xi Sha was impressed too.

“If that is true, who could have the strength to create such a powerful mark? It won't be one of the wizards because they had nothing to gain from it. It has to be a gloom, an older and powerful one.” YiFan answered his own question.

“It has to be Xi Sha.” Kyungsoo exclaimed as he went over his notes, “It only makes sense if it is Xi Sha. He was present that day at the church along with one of his underlings. It was also odd that he had given up the man’s body so easily during the ritual. He must have been drawn to what Baekhyun felt at that moment, the loss of his best friend and not being at his side when he needed the most. The sadness must have lured Xi Sha in but the question remains, why had he placed the mark instead of just taking over the body?” Kyungsoo scratched his brain.

“Baekhyun had mastered the art of astral projection as my assistant.” Yixing added, “ His soul knew how to leave and enter the body on command. It was a defense mechanism we created together to avoid getting taken over by glooms. Baekhyun had become an expert in it, his body knew when to do it. By that time, the body did it involuntarily.” He went ahead to display the paper they had written about it to the others.

“And we all know that a body without a soul is useless to a gloom. They need emotions that the soul holds onto to survive” YiFan added.

“So was this mark an act of anger by Xi Sha because he felt Baekhyun had tricked him?” Kai asked as he looked around the table.

“It feels like that, doesn't it?” Kyungsoo asked and everyone agreed with the huge-eyed professor. 

Xi Sha was shocked by how much they had figured about the mark with only a small piece of information. Chen had really gathered a team of experts here and together they were unstoppable. He had to do something about it.

“If that is the case, we now need to figure out how to get rid of the mark.” Yixing said, “ I’ve already tried the usual spells and rituals, they are useless.”

“Well if it is Xi Sha’s doing, he must have tied the mark’s fate with his existence, and the only way to get rid of it would be to get rid of the gloom” Xi Sha said. Little did they know that even if they were able to find and get rid of him, the mark won't vanish away. In fact, Xi Sha was the only one who knew how to remove the mark. 

“Chen is right. We need to start looking for him. Kai get your sources on the case ASAP we need to settle an old score with that piece of trash” YiFan said as he took out his phone and began barking orders.

Xi Sha did find that insulting but let it slide for the time being. He was ready to get up when Yixing spoke up.

“What about the other possibility then, Chen? We need to consider it too” Yixing asked.

“What other possibilities?” Xi Sha asked, sitting down again.

“The possibility that even if Xi Sha died, the mark won't go away,” Kyungsoo said.

“Yeah what if Xi Sha is the only one capable of removing the mark?” Kai added too.

“In any case, our priority now is to start finding Xi Sha and his trusted underlings. Once we have him, we will have our answer.” Yifan answered all of their questions. 

The meeting was adjourned for the day.

.

.

Something didn't settle well with Chanyeol as he entered the apartment alone for the first time. It was too quiet, something that he no longer craved. He should have just stayed back at the hospital but he knew Baekhyun needed his time to adjust and it was the only way to keep the human form safe.

“It was for the best,” Chanyeol said out loud as he assured himself. 

He went about doing his business in the room and tried concentrating on his work. Time passed but he wasn't able to even start his work. Every time he thought about work, his mind went to Baekhyun. He was worried if he was alright. Could the mark have begun acting up again? Baekhyun was alone, he should go there, right?

Who was Chanyeol kidding, there was a huge hospital full of people who could be of help to Baekhyun more than he could even think, but nothing felt right. He wasn't even ashamed to admit that he missed Baekhyun being there. He would rather have the ghost waltzing around the house singing or imitating his favorite characters from movies than the pin-drop silence that greeted him.

 _So yes Chanyeol, you make me happy_. The words replayed in his mind over and over.

“I make him happy”

Chanyeol already had the car keys in his hands before he even realized what he wanted to do. He rushed towards the car not even bothering to turn off the lights as he locked the door behind him. 

.

.

Back at the hospital, Baekhyun watched how the body reacted to what he felt. He tried thinking of happy thoughts at first. Normal heartbeats, he noticed. He then went angry, the heart rate increased. Sad, the heart rate increased and the breathing was slow. After doing it for some time, he got bored.

“Well looks like there is nothing for me to do.” He said, finally settling on the sofa. 

It was dark and it felt like staying at the apartment alone for all those years. The only difference was the continuous beeping of the heart monitor as the background music. He wished Chanyeol was here so he would have someone to talk to at least.

Baekhyun then heard the door to the room open. No one was supposed to be there. The fear made the heartbeat rise and he saw himself perspire. When he found Chanyeol standing on the other side of the door, the heart rate slowed down. 

“Chanyeol what are you doing here?” He asked, confused yet happy that the taller had come. Maybe that night if he had wished for anything, it would have come true as well.

“I make you happy,” the taller said, still reeling from the aftereffects of running all the way to the ward.

“What?” Baekhyun had heard him completely the first time, the smile pulling on his lips was a clear indication, the smile Chanyeol was blissfully aware of.

“You said I make you happy. How could I leave you alone?” Chanyeol said, sitting down on the couch beside the ghost.

The heart monitor beeped at a faster pace. Both of them looked at it. Chanyeol looked worried while the ghost looked like a deer caught in headlights.

“Should we call the nurse?” The taller asked, concerned.

“No need. It keeps doing that from time to time. It is nothing.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, Chanyeol.”

Chanyeol stood by the monitor until it went back to its normal rate. While he waited, he noticed the perspiration on Baekhyun’s forehead and went on to wipe it off. 

“Is it too hot in the room?q” Chanyeol asked as he reduced the temperature by a few degrees.

Chanyeol then went to sit by the sofa again as he looked around the room. It was dimly lit as it was way past bedtime. He didn't know what to do now that he was here. He hadn't thought that far ahead when he ran to the hospital.

“So you said, you’ve started considering Sehun as your friend now. I wonder why you had a change of heart” Baekhyun said after the silence was stretched for too long.

“I don't know that too, but yesterday when you talked about Minseok, I finally understood what it meant to be friends with someone. It meant being there for them when they needed you the most. They are the people who you would gladly get in danger for and right now there are only four people who I care that dearly for.” Chanyeol said truthfully.

“And am I one of those people?” Baekhyun mustered up his courage. 

“I just came here running in the middle of the night because I didn't want you to be alone, Baekhyun. Do you really think you need to ask me that?” Chanyeol looked at Baekhyun dead in the eyes as he said those words.

“It could just be out of habit you know? We've stayed together for months, you are bound to get used to my presence.”

“It took me a lot of courage to come here and no it wasn't because it was habitual. It is because I missed you. I don't know what it was but something compelled me to be here with you right now rather than anywhere else.”

The darkness of the room was making Chanyeol a lot more confident than he was used to. Apparently, Baekhyun wasn't used to it either as both of them heard the heart monitor beeping rapidly for the second time that night. 

Once the confidence died down, Chanyeol realized what he had just said. His face heated up and in an attempt to divert the attention he turned to the monitor again.

“Are you sure it is normal?” He asked.

“Yes, it is normal.” Baekhyun ran to sit by the bed and Chanyeol left the room for some air. 

.

.

For the next few days, the search for Xi Sha had been extreme. YiFan and Kai had their best feet forward to perform the search, Yixing had been in contact with his friends at different hospitals to find an alternative solution to the problem. 

All this while Xi Sha posing as Chen sat in his office and observed the entire company going haywire looking for him. He already had his men stationed to gradually infiltrate into the organization and take over the wizards one at a time. His army was going stronger by the day right under their noses.

“Who was the person to discover Baekhyun?” He had asked Kyungsoo one day during lunch break.

“One of the new interns this year. Yixing wasn't specific who it was.” Kyungsoo answered truthfully. 

“It was a great move by him, I must say. We don't want to endanger their lives” Xi Sha’s voice was laced with fake concern.

If Kyungsoo found that a bit unnerving, he didn't let it show.

Xi Sha had instantly ordered his men to find the new interns of the company and by afternoon the list was on his table.

One of the names was Chen’s own assistant, Park Chanyeol. Interesting, he thought. 

Judging from the glasses, the messy hair and quiet personality, the person sitting in the room with him didn't look smart enough to know any such thing. So he resolved to just observe him for the time being.

“Professor Chen” He heard Chanyeol calling and looked up with a smile on his face. Chen liked doing that, smiling at people. Xi Sha hated doing it.

“What is it, Chanyeol?” 

“I was wondering when I will have the performance review meeting,” He asked hesitantly.

_Performance review?_

“Oh yes. We had to push that away by a few days but I'll let you know about it soon.” 

The assistant went back to his work after that. 

Xi Sha fired up Chen’s system and looked for the reviews that the assistant was talking about. It was a great way to find recruits for his army. Chanyeol had unknowingly given him an important piece of information. He opened up the interns' folder and went through each of their reviews that Chen had written. Not all of them were impressive but two of them really stood out, Oh Sehun and Park Chanyeol. He was surprised to see the lousy intern’s name there. 

Every professor had written highly about the two of them highlighting their expertise, techniques, and skills. Xi Sha had a suspicion that it was one of these two that had information about Baekhyun and he was going to find out about it. 

.

.

The entire company had somehow become a lot more active in the past few days, Chanyeol noticed. The professors were mostly away from the office, only professor Chen stayed back. There were people coming in and out all the time but their work didn't suffer a bit. The juniors and interns were kept unaware of the commotion except for Chanyeol who knew what was going on at least to some extent. He figured it had everything to do with him telling Dr. Zhang about Baekhyun. During lunch that day he sat with Sehun who looked a bit concerned but won't talk about what was bothering him. He had been quiet the whole time so Chanyeol decided to start the conversation for once.

“Sehun, are you okay?”

“I think I am”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Chanyeol asked after finishing the last bite of his food.

“There is something wrong.”

Chanyeol waited for him to continue.

“Okay and…” he prompted him to continue but Sehun was lost in his thoughts again. 

“Sehun?”

“Hyung, are you done with your food?” Chanyeol nodded a yes and Sehun got up asking Chanyeol to follow him. Chanyeol followed, curious, and scared at the same time.

Once they were out of the office building and at a fairly private place for Sehun’s liking, they stopped.

“Sehun you’re scaring me. Just tell me what it is.”

“Why did you ask me about that Baekhyun person a few days back?”

Chanyeol didn't have an answer ready because he figured Sehun would never ask about it again.

“Well, you see… I saw his photo on the wall of fame, yes that's right, the wall of fame and got curious about it nothing else.” He managed to sound convincing, “Why are you asking about it though?”

“There have been people in my team who keep asking me about him too. I found it odd because you were the first person who mentioned that name to me but now suddenly everyone seemed interested”

“Well that is definitely odd. Did you tell anyone about me asking you?”

“Obviously not. I am not that stupid. Also, there is some fishy business going on which I can't keep out of my mind. I am not even able to concentrate on work. Professor Kai has already warned me about not paying attention to work twice this week and I don't want it to happen a third time.”

Chanyeol could see the stress on Sehun’s face and he wanted to do something to get that look away from the face. He prompted them to start walking back to the office.

“ I don't think we interns need to be concerned about all the office drama just yet.”

“Yes, but it's just odd.”

“Sehun, you've stopped talking about Professor Kai these days. Anything wrong?” Chanyeol said after a few moments of silence.

“No nothing major except that he is either dating or married to Professor Kyungsoo.” His words dripped salt. Chanyeol already knew about it but he didn't want to tell Sehun that.

“Wow, that could have definitely made you sad. How did you find out about it?”

“I was working the night shift once with the professor when his phone rang and the caller ID said ‘My Soo’ with a ring emoticon.”

“That could be anyone.”

“It was a private work phone only important people of the company are allowed to have. I am guessing he forgot to change it or he just doesn't want to change it.”

“ Still think you cannot be sure about it. But I am guessing your crush on the professor has now died down.”

“Yes, I’ve moved on. I cannot come between a happy relationship”

“So you don't want the information I have about him?”

“About Professor Kai?”

“Yes.”

“What is it and how do you have that information?”

“I have my sources. So I heard that he loves dogs and has like four of them.”

“He loves dogs? He was like my soulmate right there. Why did he have to be married, Hyung?” Sehun wailed out loud. It wasn't like anyone was going to understand what they were talking about. Chanyeol just chuckled at the dramatics of it all. They bickered about it and other things all the way back to the office. Chanyeol was glad Sehun didn't look that stressed and he also made a mental note to tell Dr. Zhang what the younger man had told him.

Another meeting of the heads was called that night at the company to discuss the new problem that had arisen.

.

.

“No one knows about Baekhyun except for us and some of the seniors. It is weird that the interns are being questioned about him who doesn't even know him.” YiFan said.

Xi Sha remained quiet. He didn't want to give away anything about his involvement in this. 

“The seniors are also uninformed about the plan we have, it is impossible for them to know about it unless one of us told them about it,” Kyungsoo added.

“Either one of us is a leak or we are being wired by someone,” Xi Sha said.

“Whatever the reason, we now have to find Xi Sha quickly before the situation gets out of hand.” Yixing said “ and I think shifting Baekhyun to a different hospital could be one of the solutions. We need to keep him safe.”

Everyone agreed. 

“There is one more thing.” Kai said once the previous matter was settled, “ The juniors in my team have been acting strangely for some time. They don't look like they were taken over by glooms but their movements are suspicious to me. The seniors informed me as soon as they noticed it.”

“It’s a slow poison.” Kyungsoo said out of nowhere, “It is a new technique that the glooms have developed. I read a paper about it recently. Instead of taking over the entire body at once, they tire the wizards out by making them emotionally vulnerable in their true form while silently getting into the system one bit at a time. The wizards don't seem to realize until it is too late. Right, Chen?” He looked at Xi Sha as if he was supposed to know about it.

It looked like his army had a leak too and not just the company.

“Yes, it's true, and fighting to keep their consciousness away from the gloom becomes difficult, they only tire themselves out and the glooms are able to overtake them with ease. These wizards are able to perform everyday activities with ease. No one can tell the difference because they adapt to it so well. The only way to know for sure is if the gloom slips up. It is actually foolproof.” Xi Sha said, still in shock and angry at whoever slipped up about it while Kyungsoo was observing his every movement.

“So you’re saying we are being infiltrated right now?” YiFan asked.

Both Kyungsoo and Xi Sha nodded.

“It is just the juniors for now. Maybe we should ask them not to come to work for the time being till we figure out what is happening. Only have trusted seniors at the office.” Kai suggested.

“That could work for now. I'll make arrangements to shift Baekhyun to a safe place. Kyungsoo, get the HR team to send out an email about what Kai just suggested and have your confidants on stand by.” Yixing said, adjourning the meeting.

Everyone left except Kyungsoo.

“Kyungsoo, did you have anything more to discuss?” Yixing asked.

“I know who the leak is” was all he said as they walked back to his office.

“What do you mean?”

“It's Chen.” Kyungsoo said as they entered the room and closed the door. 

“Are you insane? Chen would never do such a thing.” Yixing exclaimed as he sat on his seat.

“I know that.” Kyungsoo sat across from him.

“Then?”

“The person sitting with us is not Chen, it's Xi Sha”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I had my suspicions for some time. He had asked about the interns to me one day before you were told that the interns and juniors were being questioned about Baekhyun. Chen usually doesn't forget about anything, so him forgetting that you hadn't mentioned the intern’s name during the last meeting was unnerving to me. He had suddenly begun addressing only the juniors in the office instead of the group of trusted seniors that he had developed. Also, today at the meeting, no one was supposed to know about slow poison. It was the information I had just received from my source before the meeting. The technique was new and still being tested but Chen somehow knew everything about it. He probably thought no one would notice the slip up since he had me backing up the theory with the article.”

“So there is no article too.”

“That is correct.”

.

.

Chanyeol frequented his visits to the hospital as that was where Baekhyun had set camp. He did not like being home alone so he would spend the nights at hospital instead. That was until one night, Dr. Zhang called him in his office and scolded him for doing it. He told Chanyeol that he was basically putting a target mark on himself and Baekhyun by doing that. Feeling bad about it, Chanyeol then stopped going there every night. He now went there only once or twice a week. 

Whenever he entered the room, Chanyeol would hear the heart monitor beeping loudly. He didn't know what it was but Baekhyun always welcomed him with a huge grin on his face. At times, Chanyeol became too bold and said something that caused his own face to heat up and his heart to beat loudly against his chest but mostly they sat down and talked about things for hours until Chanyeol fell asleep. Chanyeol told him about how he was now allowed to go on missions with the other wizards finally being on the field. He told Baekhyun how he sometimes made mistakes but his colleagues were kind enough not to make fun of him.

That day, however, Chanyeol was welcomed with a normal beeping of the heart and no ghost around. 

“Baekhyun” he called out as he walked into the room. 

Receiving no response, he realized Baekhyun must have wandered off to the other parts of the hospital to pass time. Sitting by the bed as he usually did when he found himself alone in the room he took a good look at the human Baekhyun. He took his hand in his. Chanyeol liked doing that from time to time. It reassured him that Baekhyun wasn't just a fleeting dream but a real person.

Baekhyun had started looking a lot healthier from the first time he had seen him, Chanyeol noticed. He turned over the left arm near him and traced the pattern on the mark there. His skin was cold to touch but he could feel the strong pulse as his heart pumped blood into his body. There were a lot of tubes attached to his body that made Chanyeol feel bad for him. There was one for oxygen, one for food, and insertion on both the arms for pumping fluids and medicines into his body. The human form looked so fragile that it made Chanyeol want to protect him from the world. The rhythmic rising and falling of his chest made it look like Baekhyun was just having a nap. His mouth was slightly ajar so Chanyeol tried to close it. He wanted to see what the eyes looked like up close but they remained close the whole time. He ran his hand through Baekhyun’s hair, promising that he would have to hold only a little longer before everything was back to normal. 

His forehead felt a bit warm for Chanyeol to touch. Panicked, he rang the bell to call the nurse. When the nurse checked it, Baekhyun really had a slight fever but she said there was nothing to worry about. However, what concerned Chanyeol wasn't a slight fever but the cause of it. Was it because of a biological reaction to the medicines or was Baekhyun hurting somewhere?

Chanyeol left the room and ran around the hospital to look for the ghost. He didn't know where to start so he ran directly towards Dr. Zhang’s office. It was empty. He looked through the emergency wards and the general wards, still no sign of Baekhyun. He looked on the other floors, the cafeteria, and the restrooms, they were all empty. He had even checked the emergency exits there were no signs of him. Tired of walking aimlessly, he just decided to go back to the room and wait for Baekhyun there instead.

As he neared the room, he waited outside for a few minutes looking back and forth for any signs of danger. Once he was sure he wasn't being followed he decided to open the door but stopped once he heard someone talking inside.

That was odd, no one was supposed to be there at that time. The door was slightly ajar so he couldn't see the person but the voice reached clearly to him.

“Hello Baekhyun”, he heard a voice that sounded like Professor Chen. What was he doing here? Chanyeol thought to himself. He knew he couldn’t be seen around the room but he wasn't ready to leave Baekhyun alone just yet. He could trust Professor Chen to not harm Baekhyun, right?

“I thought I had ended you when I placed the mark on you three years ago. But it looks like you’re back and with your tall friend, you are causing another havoc in my plan. I won't have that” He heard the professor say and all the blood drained from Chanyeol’s face. He could feel the venom that dripped from each word uttered by the professor. Why was the professor behaving like that? What was happening? Was he there to kill Baekhyun?

That thought did not sit well in Chanyeol’s stomach so ignoring all the warning bells going off in his mind he did the most dangerous thing. He opened the door and entered the room. He couldn't leave Baekhyun alone with someone who claimed to hurt him. 

As soon as he entered the room, he knew he had done the stupidest thing. He could have just called Dr. Zhang from the reception and waited for him to arrive instead. He mentally shook his head. He was already inside and professor Chen was already looking at him; he couldn't leave now without looking suspicious.

Xi Sha was stunned to see Chen’s assistant there. There was a fierce look in his eyes which made him think that maybe Park Chanyeol was the same intern who informed Yixing about Baekhyun. He should’ve visited the hospital sooner.

“What are you doing here, Chanyeol?” he asked instead.

“I was lost. I wanted to meet Dr. Zhang but I don't know where I am. I saw you in here so I just came inside” Chanyeol said, trying to mask the hurt in his eyes as he observed every movement of his idol.

Professor Chen was on the left side and had his hand on Baekhyun’s wrist. When he saw Chanyeol looking, he quickly retracted his hand. That action made the assistant lose more respect he had for the professor.

“Who is this, Professor?” Chanyeol asked, trying to divert attention from the hurt he felt.

“He is one of my old assistants. I was just visiting him.” Xi Sha said.

“You said you wanted to meet Dr. Zhang. Is everything alright?” He asked the assistant as he got away from the bed and towards the door, a sign he wanted to leave.

“Oh yes. It is just a routine check-up” Chanyeol answered as he followed the professor.

“Oh okay, the office is all the way across the building. Come, let me show you” the professor said and Chanyeol walked with the professor thanking heavens that they were going away from Baekhyun. Once they reached the entrance of the hospital, the assistant stopped and turned to the professor.

“I think I can manage to find it from here. You don't have to come all the way, Professor” Chanyeol said.

“Are you sure?” Chanyeol nodded and bowed down habitually. The professor had a confused expression on his face but didn't say anything. Chanyeol wasn't sure if the professor had believed him or was his lie already caught. The only thing he knew was that Dr. Zhang needed to know what he had just heard so he went towards the office for the second time that day.

“Hey Chanyeol” He heard the ghost say from beside him. Chanyeol wanted to sigh in relief when he saw Baekhyun but he couldn't. 

“Where were you?” Chanyeol asked, worry and fear completely evident in his voice.

“Chanyeol you’re sweating too much. Is something wrong?” the ghost asked instead but the taller didn't stop walking until he reached the office door. The ghost kept calling out for him but Chanyeol didn't pay any heed to it. He had to talk to Dr. Zhang as soon as possible.

“It's professor Chen,” he said as soon as he opened the door to Dr. Zhang’s office only to find Professor Kyungsoo in the room as well.

“What do you mean, Chanyeol?” Both Baekhyun and Dr. Zhang asked him at the same time.

“Professor Chen, he was in the room with Baekhyun. I went inside just to make sure he didn't do anything but I think he was there to harm Baekhyun.” Chanyeol rambled on.

“Chanyeol, take a deep breath and tell us exactly what happened” Kyungsoo tried to calm him down.

Chanyeol still couldn't believe what he had heard even as he repeated everything carefully for the others.

“I don't think it will be Professor Chen himself.” Baekhyun said from beside Chanyeol.

“What do you mean not him? I literally was in the same room with him.” Chanyeol countered.

“I know and I am not disregarding it. I am just saying it might not be professor Chen. He is one of the nicest people I have known in my life and I would trust him with my whole life” Baekhyun tried explaining.

“So who do you think it is then?”

“I don't know,” Baekhyun said utterly clueless as he shrugged his shoulders.

The professors saw Chanyeol talking to himself.

“So I guess, this is the intern who told you about Baekhyun,” Professor Kyungsoo said out loud, making everyone look at him. 

Dr. Zhang nodded and Chanyeol explained the conversation he just had.

“Baekhyun is not wrong. Professor Chen is one of the most trustworthy people in the company. He will not do anything to harm Baekhyun on purpose.” Dr. Zhang said.

“What about the things he said to Baekhyun?” Chanyeol countered. 

“Professor Kyungsoo has a theory about it,” Dr. Zhang said as he urged the professor to share what he knew. The professor explained what he had just told the doctor.

“But then, Xi Sha just saw Chanyeol in the room, he is in obvious danger.” Dr. Zhang said.

“He must have already figured out you are the intern who knows about Baekhyun.” Professor Kyungsoo added.

Chanyeol was in danger, was all Baekhyun could hear as looked at the wizard beside him.

“Baekhyun’s in danger, Dr. Zhang, I think we need to shift him somewhere else,” Chanyeol said and the ghost just looked at him like he had lost his mind.

“What do you mean I am in danger? You are in danger, can't you see?” Baekhyun yelled at Chanyeol but the taller concentrated on the professor.

“We've already made arrangements for that. You can take a break from work too, Chanyeol. We are supposed to keep the company closed for the next few weeks so there is no need to come in. You’ll receive the email about it soon.” Professor Kyungsoo said 

Chanyeol nodded his head and took his leave with Baekhyun in tow.

“Chanyeol, why are you not freaking out yet? Don't you care about your life?” Baekhyun asked as they reached the car.

“I obviously care about my life but I care about your life too and freaking out is not going to bring us any solution” Chanyeol shouted in frustration. 

He exhaled loudly to calm his nerves down. He wasn't going to let the emotions get the most of him. Once he was sure that he had cooled down he turned to Baekhyun who was having a breakdown of his own at the passenger seat of the car.

“Baekhyun” he called out once he was inside the car too. 

“Byun Baekhyun, look at me” he tried once again.

“Baekhyun!” the ghost finally looked at him, “ I know this is a scary situation but we aren't alone in this. We will be able to figure out a way through this, okay? Freaking out is not good for your health, you know that so we need to calm down now.” He said as calmly as he could. It took a few minutes but he saw Baekhyun visibly relax.

“Will we be okay, Chanyeol?” Baekhyun asked in a small voice.

“We have to be” for each other, Chanyeol whispered the last past to himself.

.

.

.

“It is a Park Chanyeol. The assistant who sat in the same office as me all this time, fooling me with his dumb looks and unapproachable personality. I took him too lightly all this time” Xi Sha shouted as soon as he reached the office, “He knows too much. He needs to be eliminated as soon as possible.”

.

.

Park Chanyeol hesitantly entered the office the next day. It was raining heavily that day making the whole mood somber. The professors had asked him to stay at home but there was no email so he wasn't sure what happened. Was there a change in the plan? He had therefore decided to come to the office just in case. While Baekhyun trusted the professors, he wasn't ready to leave Chanyeol alone at all. He followed the taller to his office watching his back at all times. Chanyeol was thankful no one could see the ghost because he would feel sorry for anyone who saw Baekhyun walking around him with a finger gun pointed at anyone who came too close. 

“Baekhyun what are you even doing?” Chanyeol asked when they entered the room.

“Keeping you safe, soulmate. The attack can come from anywhere.” Baekhyun said, still marching at the door of the office and peeking to see if anything was suspicious.

“I thought I told you to- eh, whatever. Just don't disturb me” Chanyeol gave up. 

“The floor looks clear, nothing suspicious happening around here. I see one male approaching, stations in position. Looks like it was a false alarm, stations can rest.” Baekhyun continued to live comment about everything that was happening outside.

“Why are you doing that? Can't you just sit here quietly?” Chanyol said after he failed to understand the same sentence for the tenth time.

“It is to take your mind off of your own thoughts. I know you tend to overthink stuff but with me as a distraction I don't think you’ll have time to do that.” Baekhyun answered.

Chanyeol was touched that Baekhyun even thought about him. All this while he had thought he was doing it for his own entertainment. Yes, he did tend to overthink to some extent but he hadn’t expected the ghost to even pay attention to such small details about him.

“Even so, can't you just distract me by talking instead of whatever it is that you are doing?”Chanyeol asked.

“That could work too.” Baekhyun said walking towards the table and sitting on the sofa nearby. 

“Boy, this room hasn't changed a bit from the time I used to work here.” Baekhyun said out of the blue.

“You worked for Professor Chen too?” Chanyeol asked.

“Obviously. He was my very first mentor and the only person who believed in my abilities. Everyone else thought I was just a teenager with overflowing passion. Professor Chen, however, took me under his wing and trained me to be a protector.” Baekhyun explained.

Chanyeol noticed how easily Baekhyun had begun sharing his past with him. Up until a few weeks ago, he didn't even know that they actually worked in the same company but it all had changed once Baekhyun opened up about that incident three years ago. He had started looking a lot less stressed and the boyish charm that Chanyeol had seen in the photo was slowly coming back.

“Protector? Weren't you working under Dr. Zhang?”

“I was being trained to be an all rounder, soulmate. Connect the dots in your head, I won't be there to explain things to you everytime.”

The door opened before Chanyeol could retort. Baekhyun stood in front of Chanyeol, ready to attack if anyone tried to harm him. 

Chanyeol had to cram his head without being too weird to see who it was. Professor Chen entered the room and the blood from his face drained. He gulped hard before standing up and bowing down to the professor.

“Oh Chanyeol you’re early today?” he said as he sat down and fired up the computer.

Chanyeol just nodded in response.

“Did you complete the synthesis of the two papers I asked you to do?” Professor Chen asked casually.

“Yes, I've already emailed it to you.” Chanyeol replied. 

“Thanks, Chanyeol. You can continue your work” Chen said. 

“He is behaving normally.” Baekhyun said mirroring Chanyeol’s confused expression.

“Chanyeol, are you sure you heard correctly?” Baekhyun turned to Chanyeol who just nodded at him. He then prompted the ghost to come towards the computer as he typed away.

‘That is how he behaves everyday, if professor Kyungsoo is right, the gloom must have already learnt the mannerisms of the professor’, Chanyeol typed.

“Yeah he must not want to reveal that he knows about you. You need to be careful.” Baekhyun replied.

Before Chanyeol could reply, he got a text from Sehun on his mobile.

‘Hyung, coffee?’ was all it said.

‘Yes’ the taller replied and made plans to meet in ten minutes at the cafe. 

“You didn't even think about me?” Baekhyun said hurt evident in his voice.

‘What is there to think?’ Chanyeol typed.

“What am I supposed to do while you go on a date?” Baekhyun asked.

‘First, it is not a date, second, you can do anything you want, roam around the office, keep an eye on the professor or come with me’, Chanyeol wrote.

“Okay okay, I’ll keep an eye till you return. Don’t die while I am away” Baekhyun said as he went and sat in front of the professor staring directly at him.

Chanyeol observed him for a few seconds before he left for his break.

“I am going to try to erase you out of existence, Xi Sha, using just my mental strength. How dare you take over Professor Chen?” And try hurting Chanyeol but Baekhyun didn't say that out loud.

“I dare to do that because I can do it, Byun Baekhyun” Xi Sha said, looking directly at him.

“You.. you can see me?” baekhyun was shocked beyond explanation. 

“I was the one who put the mark on you so of course I can see you. You were going to be a great addition to my army but you had to go ahead and pull that stunt.” Xi Sha said, holding Baekhyun’s hand and tracing the pattern of the mark. The mark sparked with life like it had found its owner. It had already begun glowing. Baekhyun could feel the fear taking over his body but with Xi Sha’s hand on the mark, it didn't hurt him like it did every time. What was this?

“Ahh fear” Xi Sha breathed in the air. To Baekhyun he looked like a druggie who had finally found his hidden stash. Baekhyun pulled his hand away from the gloom’s hold, “I wish you had given up when I asked you too, it would have saved you the years longing for someone to be able to talk to you.” 

“Now your new friend knows about me too. He will have to die Baekhyun, he will die because of you too. Just like Minseok did.”

“No. You can't hurt Chanyeol.”

“It's too late now.”

Baekhyun heard the distress call signal go off at the control room and then he ran towards the cafeteria.

.

.

“Isn't the cafe too empty, today?” Chanyeol asked as soon as they entered.

“Hyung did you read the HR email? We don't need to come to work for the next two weeks.” Sehun said.

“Apparently, the juniors got the email yesterday itself. So they haven't come in today. We were also supposed to be informed but the HR made a mistake so they sent it out this morning”

“Wow that isn't something that should be expected from the HR” Chanyeol said as he checked his phone for the email. 

“The email says stop coming to work from today so can we leave then?” Chanyeol asked, reading the email carefully.

“I asked professor Kai. He said I could leave by lunch. You should talk to Professor Chen about it too.” Sehun said, slurping his bubble tea.

They heard the distress signal going off then. Sehun had to rush to the control room but forgot his coffee as he did so. Chanyeol, being the good friend, took the coffee to his friend's desk.

.

.

Baekhyun searched the entire cafeteria but Chanyeol was nowhere to be found. Where did this human elf go for his date?

Baekhyun had already cursed Chanyeol for not being where was supposed to be but then he realized because of the emergency, Sehun probably had to go back to the control room and Chanyeol must have followed him. He was able to find Sehun first as he looked around the control room but Chanyeol was not near the desk. 

“Chanyeol” he called out as loud as he could and only one head turned to look at him. Baekhyun sighed in relief and asked him to come over.

“What is the matter, Baekhyun?” Chanyeol asked as soon as he was out of earshot.

“Xi Sha, he.. he can see me and he has something planned for yo..you too. Whatever you do, don't go near him. Call Professor Kyungsoo and Dr. Zhang and tell them about Xi Sha. Do it now.” Baekhyun looked scared. 

Chanyeol did as he was told and then led the ghost towards the cafe and settled into the corner table.

“Are you alright Baekhyun? because you don't look alright to me.”

Baekhyun wanted to lie and say that everything was okay but the worry in Chanyeol’s eyes made him want to just tell what was bothering him but then again he didn't want the wizard to have anything more to deal with than he already was. The confusion made him want to just run away so that he didn't have to come back here.

“Baekhyun you know that you cannot be under any stress right? Your human form will suffer the consequences. Dr. Zhang has worked too hard to keep you safe. We cannot let that go down the drain now, can we?”

Baekhyun nodded. 

“You also know that I will always be here for you, right? You can tell me whatever you want and I promise I won't run away.” 

Chanyeol didn't know where he was getting this confidence from when he was supposed to be looking out for his own life that Xi Sha was trying to ruin. However, the fear evident on Baekhyun’s face made something in his heart shift and he didn't like the feeling at all.

“The mark,” Baekhyun said just looking at his hands with the palms facing him, “ it didn't hurt when Xi Sha held my hand in his. The mark still glowed and I could feel the fear and sadness engulfing me but it didn't send waves of pain over me like it always does. In his hands, the mark just glowed and I felt at ease. The feeling was too addicting Chanyeol, it.. it was pulling me towards it and there was this one-sixth of a second where I even considered giving into it.” He looked at Chanyeol then, “What if it happens again Chanyeol? What if Xi Sha gets hold of me again and I am not able to resist it? What do I do then?”

The fear in his eyes made Chanyeol’s heart hurt. He wanted to hold on to his shaking hands at that moment telling him that it was going to be alright but it was only the words that he could use to make the ghost feel at ease.

Chanyeol positioned his hands just above Baekhyun’s and left it at that.

“Baekhyun,” the ghost looked at him again, “You will not do anything of the sort because I will always be there with you to help you. Just promise to not leave my side ever and I will make sure that you don't give into the feeling.” He nodded asking if Baekhyun understood him and the ghost nodded back.

“I am not going to lie to you, I am scared too. Scared that I won't be able to hold my ground in case Xi Sha decides to kill me now, that if I am supposed to fight the other glooms, I might falter and give them a chance to take over me. I am scared of turning into something that killed my parents.” Chanyeol thought he would be hesitant but with Baekhyun, he didn't feel the need to hide anything as he spoke about his fears. “ I became a protector to find the one who killed my parents and completely wipe off their existence. What if I die before I even begin to look for the culprit?” It was the very first time that Chanyeol had even told this part of his plan to anyone. He always told people only the part where his parents encouraged him to be whatever he wanted but never told them that their deaths were another reason that made him want to be one. 

Chanyeol felt something then. Something that brushed his fingers before a stronghold formed on his hands that were above Baekhyun’s. Baekhyun was holding his hands in his, a silent support that said he would be there for Chanyeol just like Chanyeol would be there for him. The wizard didn't know how Baekhyun managed to do it but at that moment it was what he needed the most, reassurance from the person who cared about him. Chanyeol knew that Baekhyun was probably using a lot of his spirit energy to hold his hands so he gently let go.

“Looks like we are two very scared people who need to depend on each other,” Baekhyun said as he folded his hands in front of him.

“Two scaredy cats.” Chanyeol said as he chuckled as the rain poured down heavily outside.

Chanyeol’s phone rang, it was Sehun again.

“Sehun sure does call you a lot.” Baekhyun commented while Chanyeol answered the phone.

“Hyung, did you leave for the day already?” Sehun asked as soon as he picked up.

“No, I am yet to talk to Professor Chen, why do you ask?”

“We need two more people to go for the distress call. Professor Kai is sending me but we are still one wizard short. Can you fill in?”

“Sure, I'll be there in a minute.” Chanyeol hung up the phone and looked at Baekhyun again. He didn't even have to think about it twice.

“Looks like you have to act upon your promise very soon. I need to go for the distress call with Sehun.” Chanyeol said.

Suddenly the way Chen had reacted to hearing the call flashed through Baekhyun’s mind.

“Chanyeol you cannot go. This is what Xi Sha has planned. It is designed to kill you, you cannot go.”

“I have to, Baekhyun. Sehun has been assigned too. I cannot let him go alone when I know how dangerous this is. Isn't this what friends do?” Chanyeol said getting up and walking towards the locker room.

“Did you inform Professor Kyungsoo and Dr. Zhang about it, at least?” Baekhyun asked when Chanyeol didn't change his mind about not going. Chanyeol just nodded in response.

Both Sehun and Chanyeol went to the control room to report to Professor Kai. Baekhyun had no choice but to follow the SeChan duo.

As the vehicle approached the location, Baekhyun had a sense of deja vu. It was the same church that he and Minseok had come to that night and it was raining heavily too. Chanyeol looked at Baekhyun when he figured where they were too. 

“Sehun, you need to stay back and follow my lead, don't go ahead venturing on your own” He warned the younger.

“Eh hyung, I am the one who has field experience not you. You should follow my lead.” Sehun said playfully.

“Sehun” Chanyeol warned and Sehun understood that this wasn't the time to play around.

“Okay okay. I will”

.

.

Xi Sha saw all three of them enter the church from where he stood away from everyone’s vision. Two wizards were already inside trying to help the human. The fools believed that they could do it. Even with five of them combined they weren't qualified to stop the gloom. He had, after all, put his most powerful gloom on the job. 

The wizards struggled to keep the gloom under control as Baekhyun did another quick perimeter check of the place. According to him, there must be some more glooms lurking around. All of a sudden, there was a lot of commotion behind him and he turned around. He saw an army of gloom infested wizards enter the room. Everyone in the room stilled for a second before the glooms charged to attack. Both Sehun and Chanyeol matched the glooms’ spells and attacks with their own. Sehun had been on the field so he knew how to handle it well. It took some time for Chanyeol to find his footing but once he got the idea he went with it. Sehun played with defense while Chanyeol went forward with attacks. They didn't have time to entertain their skills as they had a bigger battle to fight. Once they had the gloom infected wizards under control and tied up, Sehun hit the emergency button and alerted the station. The other two wizards fighting with them had become weak too.

Sehun thought it was over and had just lifted his guard, when Chanyeol saw some of the juniors in the company march into the room from inside. The taller sent the information to the center and prayed that it reached professor Kyungsoo too. 

The glooms kept coming and the wizards kept fighting. Baekhyun could only keep an eye and alert Chanyeol if someone came too close. There was nothing else that he was capable of doing at that moment. He could see the wizards becoming weaker yet holding their ground and wondered if there was any way he could help.

Sehun was tired and frustrated. No one was coming to their aid. He was too exhausted to fight but the glooms kept coming. He jumped into the air and chanted the cyclone spell to control the wind as he wound his wand around. All the glooms were lifted from the ground and into a whirlwind in the center of the room. The younger concentrated all his power into it and when he was sure everyone was out of energy he broke it off and landed back on his feet. Chanyeol quickly performed the caging spell, magically binding them in one place, rendering all of them helpless.

Baekhyun stood in awe of the young wizard. 

“They have amazing teamwork but they won't be able to last for long,” Baekhyun heard professor Chen’s voice. Shocked, he turned towards it and found him standing right beside him.

“What do you want?” Baekhyun asked, frustrated but the gloom ignored him as he motioned for more glooms to enter.

“Chanyeol” Baekhyun warned the taller as he saw more of them enter. 

“Are you serious?” was all Chanyeol said before he continued fighting.

“Why are you even doing this?” Baekhyun asked Xi Sha.

“Isn't it obvious? I need to either kill him or get him on my side but he must prove he is worthy first. Right now, Sehun seems a lot more worthy to be a gloom than your Chanyeol.”

“Leave Sehun out of this.”

“No can do. He shouldn’t have come here in the first place. Now that he is here, he will either have to suffer and die or turn on my side.” Xi Sha said, “ and as for Chanyeol, I don't think he will survive any more.

From the corner of his eyes, Sehun noticed Professor Chen while the other wizards continued fighting.

“Hyung, professor Chen is here. I don't think we need to fight anymore!” he said, sighing in relief but the glooms didn't stop, they kept coming at them.

Chanyeol looked around to locate the said professor and found him with Baekhyun. He kept an eye on them. The other two wizards saw the professor too, but didn't leave their places too.

“Let's go to him.” Sehun stopped fighting and started running towards the professor but Chanyeol held him back. 

“Don’t go there, Sehun,” Chanyeol said, the hurt in his voice evident.

“Why hyung? It is professor Chen” The younger sounded so hopeful and happy that Chanyeol almost didn't have the hurt to tell him the truth.

“It is not the Professor Chen we know” He quietly said as a gloom marched towards the duo. Sehun counterattacked and he was on the ground in seconds.

“What do you mean?” Sehun asked.

“He has been infested by a gloom too. He is the one ordering these attacks on us” Chanyeol said amidst the fight.

Sehun kept gazing at the professor. There was nothing odd about him except for the fact that he wasn't coming forward to help them. There was a murderous glint in the professor’s eyes that Sehun hadn't seen before, when the professor looked at Sehun and Chanyeol. His heart hurt but he continued to fight to keep the others safe.

.

.

“Is this it, Kyungsoo?” Yixing asked when Kyungoo handed him the mark reversal plan to him. He was in his office making preparations to shift Baekhyun when the professor had barged into the room with a smile on his face.

“Yes it is.” was all he said.

“How did you find it? Wasn't only Xi Sha supposed to know about it?” Yixing asked, going over the plan repeatedly. He still couldn’t believe he had it in his hands.

“Believe it or not Xi Sha has some enemies among his own kind too.” 

“It's the personality that no one agrees with.”

“I'll get everything ready, you get Baekhyun. Sehun and Chanyeol seem to be fighting an army of glooms as we speak. The center really needs to send back up.” Kyungsoo said and went ahead to call the center.

“They are probably short on staff after we asked the wizards to stay home” Yixing reasoned as he calculated the time it would take for the ritual and asked the hospital to have an ambulance on standby.

.

.

It had been over an hour, all of them were exhausted fighting the glooms nonstop. Thankfully some help had arrived and the duo was able to rest for a bit as the healers tried to help them recover while the other fought. Baekhyun ran to Chanyeol’s side.

“It's like we are fighting all the glooms in the world. They just keep coming, how are there so many of them?” Sehun asked.

“They really are testing their interns,” Chanyeol chuckled. The fight he had with the old woman felt like a long time ago for him.

“Are you guys alright?” Baekhyun asked, completely forgetting that Sehun could not see him.

“We are fine.” Chanyeol replied and then turned to Sehun “Oh Sehun, that trick with the wind was amazing. I didn't know you did so well on the field”

“Why do you think they keep sending me on fieldwork, Hyung?”

“No need to brag about it.”

“We should get back,” Sehun said and Chanyeol nodded. 

Time flew like a raging river in that church but it kept bringing in more glooms while Xi Sha went back to his hiding spot. Everyone kept fighting, some were attacked, others defended well, there were injuries too. A cut on the cheek, a punch in the gut, a kick in the shin, a spell on someone but that didn't stop the wizards from fighting. The team from the hospital had their back too.

When Xi Sha was sure that Chanyeol was tired enough, he asked the glooms to stop coming in. 

The wizards rejoiced that they had finally reached the last of the lot but Chanyeol remained skeptical. He looked around and there was no sign of Xi Sha again. Did he go back? He looked around for Baekhyun and saw him near one of the healers. The ghost also had his eyes trained on the room looking for Xi Sha, Chanyeol guessed.

He saw the wizards going back to the center one by one since the glooms had started despitating, while he was fighting one of the last ones. He asked Sehun to do the same but that idiot decided to wait. 

When the crowd was almost gone, Xi Sha came forward once again. Baekhyun was the first to notice him. Chanyeol and Sehun were busy helping the healers. 

Baekhyun looked at a tired Chanyeol and the menacing smile Xi Sha had on his face. He knew what he was up to.

“Chanyeol, go back to the center” He went to where the taller was.

“I can't, Sehun refuses to leave,” Chanyeol said, as he looked at Sehun still trying to help the wizard. They waited a few seconds for him to be done before Chanyeol said, “Let's leave.” The younger nodded at that.

They walked towards the door, Sehun in the front and the other two behind. Once Sehun stepped out, the door closed on Chanyeol’s face. The taller tried to jiggle those handles to try opening it, but the door won't budge. Panicked he looked around for another exit.

“Oh, I miscalculated the timing. I wanted the three of you here. But anyway, Sehun will live another day.” they heard Xi Sha.

“Open the door,” Chanyeol said as calmly as he could as he continued looking around for any other way out.

“Did you ever wonder why I brought you here, Chanyeol?”

“Just open the door!”

“In a church of all places when I could have just killed you in any corner of the city and no one would have even noticed.” Xi Sha continued without paying heed to any interruptions.

Chanyeol tried using some spells he had learned in college. Even then, the door didn't budge.

“The door is closed on my command; it will only open when I want it to. Now stop playing with the handle and answer my question.” Xi Sha raised his voice an octave.

“To play with Baekhyun’s feelings,” Chanyeol answered. There was no other plausible reason except that. 

“Partly correct but that is not all. If you know the story, three years ago not only did Baekhyun and his friend was injured here but also the two healers who had been attacked by my partner and me. All these people died that night in this very place.”

“I know that already. Why are you telling me this?”

“This is something not a lot of people know but the two healers that died here are of very high relevance to you. Do you know their names Baekhyun?”

Chanyeol and Baekhyun looked at each other, no one knew what the gloom was trying to do. They couldn't figure out what the gloom was trying to achieve by telling their names. Baekhyun didn't want to know them but that was not going to stop gloom, was it?

“They were Park Ji Yeong and Park Hana.”

“Park?” Baekhyun said as he turned to look at Chanyeol but the taller had a dark expression on his face.

“That is correct, Byun Baekhyun. I see you’ve already connected the dots in your mind and I would like to tell you if you are right but why don't we ask Chanyeol.”

“Who are they?” Baekhyun asked, looking at an unmoving Chanyeol. 

“Answer him, Chanyeol. Do you know them?” Xi Sha taunted the wizard.

However, Chanyeol just stood there unmoving. This wasn't true, it couldn't be happening, How did Xi Sha know about his parents and how they died? Was it true? Did they die right here at this place? He looked around. Was it Xi Sha who had taken over them? He was never told what exactly happened except for the fact that gloom had attacked them. Were Xi Sha and his partner those glooms? He looked at Xi Sha who held a cunning smile.

“ Was it you? Did you kill my parents?” Chanyeol directed the question to the gloom, not even looking at Baekhyun.

“Your.. parents?” was all Baekhyun could say. It meant that Baekhyun had failed to save Chanyeol’s parents that night. He was the reason Chanyeol had been left alone as a teenager to fight the world on his own. It was Baekhyun’s fault once again. 

“Baekhyun couldn't save your parents Chanyeol, do you still look at him the same way now?” Xi Sha said and Chanyeol could see the smile on his face. He wanted to punch the smile off his face. 

“You killed my parents,” Chanyeol yelled at the gloom.

Baekhyun immediately took the blame on himself, “ I am sorry Chanyeol. I didn't mean to do it” Baekhyun was on the verge of breakdown already. First Minseok, then Chanyeol’s parents and now Chanyeol too. He was responsible for everything that happened three years ago and everything that was happening today too. The ghost staggered back, not able to keep the pain at bay. He let it flow through him as he saw the curse mark glow a bright green.

The taller then ran towards the gloom ready to strike but Xi Sha was prepared. As soon as he was close enough, he threw him back with the flick of a wrist. Chanyeol didn't give up as he charged forward once more. He made use of every spell he had learned, every technique he was taught; there was no stopping him. Xi Sha was impressed by the human wizard with the sheer amount of skills and strength he was portraying but alas! he was always one step slower. His attacks were too predictable for the gloom so he kept failing. 

The sadness that came from Baekhyun was inviting for Xi Sha but the wizard didn't stop attacking him. He was using all his might but Chen’s body was weakening as time passed by. It was only a matter of time before he would have to give it up.

The fire within Chanyeol to kill the person who was responsible for his parents' death kept fueling his energy and he kept attacking. All this while, he hadn't paid any attention to the ghost at all. He turned around to look for Baekhyun and saw him sitting in a corner holding his left hand in his right. The world stopped for Chanyeol again. He had promised to keep Baekhyun safe but he was hurting. However, he had promised himself that he would end the life of the one who killed his parents too. He was torn between the two promises had made. He looked at Xi Sha and then at Baekhyun and back at Xi Sha. The world spun around him and he closed his eyes to gather his thoughts.

Seeing the wizard distracted, the gloom went towards Baekhyun. With every step he took, the mark on the ghost's hand shined brighter asking Baekhyun to give in to the feeling. Xi Sha held his hands making it a lot harder for Baekhyun to resist the feeling.

Chanyeol took a long deep breath and exhaled slowly to calm his nerves. He thought about his parents and what they would have done in such a situation and just like that the decision was made. Saving a life was always the first priority for his parents. 

“Baekhyun” Chanyeol yelled as he went towards the ghost only to see the gloom already beside him, his hand on Baekhyun’s.

“Give it up, Baekhyun.” Xi Sha said. 

Baekhyun grunted loudly conjuring the strength he required to resist the feeling.

“Baekhyun look at me!” Chanyeol said but Baekhyun just clutched the glooms hand tightly. Chanyeol envied it. Xi Sha was able to hold his hands but he couldn’t. He wanted to hold his hand too.

“Baekhyun, concentrate on my voice. You were not responsible for my parent's deaths, it was Xi Sha. He is only trying to trick you so that you keep blaming yourself. I do not blame you for it and neither should you.” Chanyeol spoke as much as he could.

Baekhyun looked at Chanyeol then. He could see in the wizard’s eyes that he meant every word he said. His grip on the glooms hand loosened and he let go of him. However as he was about to say that he was alright, Baekhyun felt something on his left wrist.

The mark had begun disappearing slowly. The world slowed down for him again. 

“Baekhyun?” Chanyeol called out from beside him. Xi Sha watched what Baekhyun was intently looking at too. When he saw the mark disappearing, held his hand again, not believing his eyes.

Baekhyun heard his name being called, but he couldn't look away. The mark was disappearing, it was almost gone. He didn't want to look anywhere else, afraid that the mark would just come back if he took his eyes away from it. He didn't even realize that the gloom now had his hands over his neck or that Chanyeol had got up and performed a spell towards the gloom. Baekhyun felt light on his feet. He watched the mark completely disappear from his wrist.

“Baekhyun, what is happening?” Chanyeol asked. Xi Sha had covered the left hand and the wizard saw the face of the gloom going from shock to anger. That couldn't be good. 

Baekhyun looked up then, a smile on his face confusing Chanyeol all the more. 

Baekhyun wanted to tell Chanyeol that the mark was gone, that he was finally free from the gloom’s hold but he couldn't say any of it because he felt like was pulled away from everything. The next thing he knew was that his eyes were closed and he seemed to be lying on something soft. He tried opening his eyes but they felt heavy, his throat was constricted and his body stiff. 

“Baekhyun, are you awake?” he heard Dr. Zhang’s voice. Where was Chanyeol? He should be there too.

“Chanyeol” was all he managed to say before slipping into unconsciousness once again.

.

.

Baekhyun had just disappeared into the thin air right in front of Chanyeol’s eyes. He glared at the gloom who looked at him with a confused look. 

“What did you do to Baekhyun?” Chanyeol was burning with anger, first his parents and now Baekhyun, the gloom had a death wish. 

“I didn't do anything,” Xi Sha said but Chanyeol wasn’t going to have any of it. He attacked him with full force. Xi Sha was defending himself and finding a way to attack. He saw Chanyeol faltering then and used that to his advantage to attack him with a fireball spell square on his chest.

Chanyeol did not estimate the intensity of the attack as he tried his best to avoid it by using a protector spell, a blocker but somehow the fireball kept following him. It wasn't going to stop till it hit Chanyeol. He kept moving backward but the blood from his face drained the second time that night when his back came into contact with the wall. He had no time to move anywhere as the fireball hit him and he fell down on the ground unconscious.

.

.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOO!” Chanyeol woke up screaming, but there was nothing around to be scared of. It was a lot different than what he had expected. Chanyeol looked around to figure out where he exactly was. 

He was in a hospital room with the sunlight coming directly onto his face. 

“You’re awake?” He heard a familiar voice and tried to turn his head but it felt a bit sore so decided to stay just the way he was and lied down again. A surge of pain went through his body stopping only at his chest as he did so. He grunted in pain. 

“Easy, easy don't take too much strain on yourself.” Sehun’s familiar face came into his sight and all the memories of last night came rushing to him. 

“Baekhyun... Where is Baekhyun?”

“You have to rest now. Dr. Zhang told me not to say anything so just sleep for now.”

.

.

The next time Chanyeol opened his eyes, it was dark in the room. He heard the faint beeping of the heart monitor as he adjusted his eyes to the darkness. There was not much that he could make out from the little light that came from the window beside him so he just lay there looking at the full moon that shone brightly in the night sky. 

His thoughts went back to the fight. He didn't remember anything after the fireball hit him. The pain was still there but it was fainter than before. He wondered what happened after. How did he get to the hospital? Was the gloom dead? And more importantly, where was Baekhyun? Where did he disappear to? Was he gone as well? Had Xi Sha killed him too? Will Chanyeol not be able to see him again? Chanyeol’s eyes well up. He hadn't been able to save him. He had promised to be there for the ghost but he was not able to do it. Tears began streaming down his face. Baekhyun was blaming himself for Chanyeol’s parents death and maybe that was the last thought he had. Chanyeol didn't even get to tell him that it was not true, that he trusted him completely. He couldn't even tell Baekhyun how important he was to him. 

“Your heart monitor is going off too rapidly, soulmate. Are you having a panic attack right now?” Chanyeol heard Baekhyun as he felt his heart beating rapidly against his chest.

He did a quick scan of the room for a short male in white and brown attire, black hair, and glasses but it was too dark to be able to make out anything.

“Baekhyun?” Chanyeol whispered afraid that there was going to be no response. 

“Yes, Chanyeol?” He heard Baekhyun’s voice come from the right side of his room as the room’s light turned on. Chanyeol got up in a sitting position so that he could see clearly.

“Where are you Baekhyun? I can't see you.” Chanyeol said as he frantically scanned the right side of the room, swinging his head around so much that he was afraid to hurt it. 

There was a sound of the curtain sliding, Chanyeol turned towards it and there he was.

Not in the white and brown attire but a hospital gown, ruffled black hair, and some tapes attached to his wrist and a smile on his face. Baekhyun stood there, not as a ghost, but as a human. He was standing there alive and breathing. Chanyeol went forward a bit to make sure he was not imagining things. He raised his hands to touch the shorter’s face. This time the hand didn't pass through, it stayed on Baekhyun’s cheek.

“You’re alive.” was all he could say before his eyes welled up once again.

“Of course I am alive Chanyeol,” Baekhyun said as he stood still, his eyes tearing up as well.

“I thought I lost you too, Baekhyun. I thought my bad luck took you away from me too.” Chanyeol managed to say amidst the crying, as he wrapped himself around. 

Baekhyun backed up a bit to place a soft innocent kiss on the taller’s soft lips. Chanyeol’s heart fluttered from the simple peck.

“No one can take me away from you,” Baekhyun said before pulling Chanyeol down and crashing his lips on the taller’s. It made Chanyeol falter a bit, but he held onto the shorter not letting him go. Chanyeol breathed him in, convincing himself that it was real. Baekhyun was really there with him. It wasn't a dream that would go away once he opened his eyes. Chanyeol bit lightly on the shorter’s lower lip making him moan. He draped both his hands around Baekhyun pulling him even closer as he continued assaulting his lips. Their tongues met in a frenzy and the sensation made Baekhyun feel his knees weaken. His hands went from Chanyeol’s neck and tangled themselves into the messy curls as pulled softly on them. The feeling sent shivers down Chanyeol’s back as he let his teeth graze the shorter’s chin before kissing him again. Both their heart monitors seemed to be beeping rapidly but no one paid any heed.

Baekhyun noticed the tears streaming down their face when they came up for some oxygen. He wiped the tears off the taller’s face lightly with his thumbs and touched their foreheads together.

“You don't look cute at all when you cry, soulmate.” He said to Chanyeol and the taller just chuckled.

“I could say the same about you too,” Chanyeol said doing the same for him as he sat down on the bed, resting his head on the elevated bed head. He pulled Baekhyun towards him so he was lying right next to him.

“I still can’t believe you're here,” Chanyeol said, looking up at Baekhyun, his hands tracing every curvature of his face as he tried to convince himself that Baekhyun was really there. 

“Well believe it Chanyeol because I am not going to go away anytime soon now,” Baekhyun said, placing a hand on his chest. “Does it hurt?” he asked after some time. He had heard the doctors and nurses talking about how badly Chanyeol had been hit.

“Not anymore,” Chanyeol said calmly. 

“How did you get here and where is Sehun? He was there in the room before” Chanyeol asked then.

“I asked Dr. Zhang to let us share the room and sent Sehun home for the night. He had been here every night. He deserved a break.” Baekhyun said.

“How long was I unconscious?”

“I think five days, I can't be sure though. It has only been like two days for me.” Baekhyun said.

“So that day when you disappeared what happened?” Chanyeol asked the one question that had been in his mind.

“The mark was gone from my arm that day. Before I could tell you though, I was pulled back to my body like a yoyo.” Baekhyun said.

Chanyeol’s eyes then fell on Baekhyun's left wrist and he held it into his hands. The spot where the mark was now only had a fading outline of it.

“The mark is not completely gone yet,” Chanyeol commented. 

“Dr. Zhang said that it would remain like that.” Baekhyun said, “ I am not affected by it anymore though so I am okay with that.”

“I like you, Baekhyun,” Chanyeol said out of nowhere and Baekhyun felt his face heat up.

“You don't just say things like that, Chanyeol” Baekhyun said, hiding his face in the taller’s chest.

“Why not? If I like you, you should know it.” Chanyeol said and Baekhyun just covered his face harder.

“Who are you and what did you do to my shy, introverted Chanyeol?” Baekhyun said instead, still not looking up. 

“Don't you like me Baekhyun?” he could sense some insecurities in his voice so Baekhyun looked up.

“No, that's not it. You just said it so suddenly. I am just shocked a bit.” Baekhyun tried explaining as he hid his face in the crook of Chanyeol’s neck. The taller just chuckled and held him close not wanting to let go. 

“Don't disappear on me like that ever again Baekhyun.” Chanyeol said after some time, “I don't think I would be able to survive it the second time.”

Baekhyun nodded as he snuggled closer to Chanyeol while the taller wrapped his arm around him, holding him close and drifting off to sleep. He could get used to this, having Baekhyun in his arms every night.

.

.

Chanyeol and Baekhyun spent the next few days in the hospital, recovering. They were visited by their friends and professors from time to time. Baekhyun was finally able to meet Junmyeon, Chanyeol’s college friend. Both of them clicked instantly as they began roasting Chanyeol who was not really happy about it.

Baekhyun finally mustered up enough courage to ask Dr. Zhang about Minseok. Chanyeol was there with him, holding his hand as the news was broken to him. It was difficult to get over the loss but Baekhyun was going to try his best and Chanyeol was going to be there for him every step of the way.

They also found out that Xi Sha was no more. After healing Baekhyun, the professors had gone to the church to fight the gloom and this time, there were no mistakes made. They got rid of him. 

Professor Chen was still recovering from the after-effects of having a gloom inside him for this long. He had gone on vacation indefinitely. No one knew where he was but they all hoped for the professor to return one day. 

Chanyeol and Baekhyun still lived in the same apartment where they first met. None of them wanted to move to a new place as it held so many memories. There were times when Baekhyun would completely forget that he was a human and would walk right into walls hurting himself. It was going to take him some time to adjust but he was getting there. There were times where Chanyeol would wake up screaming, as he still reeled from the fear of losing Baekhyun or him just disappearing out of thin air, but the shorter would just hold him closer to reassure him that everything was okay. It was going to take a while for everything to get back to normal but they were trying.

It was just like Baekhyun said, they were two really scared wizards who trusted only each other to keep them sane.

Two scaredy cats.

-The End-


End file.
